


Blood in The Shadows

by Hobohaymaker13



Series: Hobohaymaker13/Countconiine LOK Saga [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Action/Adventure, Awkward But Sweet Proposal, Comedy, Death of Loved Ones, F/F, Fluff, Foxy Kya, Gen, Gory Violence, Multi, Murder Mystery, Revenge, Ruins of the Empire Comics (Avatar), Sad, Shadowbending & Shadowbenders, To Many Reveals To List Off, Toph Being Awesome, some nudity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:33:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 72,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26254969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hobohaymaker13/pseuds/Hobohaymaker13
Summary: Just as Korra makes a large step in her relationship with Asami, peace is broken once more when a series of brutal murders happen in Republic City, all said to be done by someone with the uncanny ability to bend shadows. But what secrets are hidden in the shadows, not just in the case, but with those looking into it as well?Collab with the wonderful 'countconiine', writer of the "Vampire Asami AU"'s and "The Avatar Space Fleet"!
Relationships: Bolin/Opal (Avatar), Korra/Asami Sato, Lin Beifong/Kya II, Mako (Avatar)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Hobohaymaker13/Countconiine LOK Saga [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1907419
Comments: 77
Kudos: 95





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> A re-done fic of a old fanfic rewritten with the comics in mind (Especially with it post-"Ruins of The Empire") along with major changes from the original. It's also more mature than the actual series involving dialog, violence, some sexual situations and it's themes. Please R&R!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a bit of a Trigger warning due to the amount of violence in this chapter, some "bender" related slurs and attempted sexual assault. So just a heads up. Also, the cover of the fic is at the bottom drawn by fellow writer Lyondor. Here's a link to Lyo's tumblr! https://lyo-art.tumblr.com/

It was a dark night in Republic City. The sky was covered in thick clouds, obscuring the little moonlight. Even so, the roads lit up with the warm light of dotted street lamps, and the Spirit Portal shone bright in the darkness. Some citizens saw to their business before heading back home, while some took to the streets with the dying daylight - some enjoying the nightlife, some patrolling the area, and some with less savory plans...

Among them, one person had their own set of ideas.

"Oy, barkeep, another round, stat!" A voice rang out in one of the many bars in the city, a simple affair known as "Kan's".

The voice belonged to a tall lanky looking guy with long greasy brown hair, no more than his mid-20's and had the attitude of an ignorant drunk zebra donkey.

"We're going for the records!" He laughed as did another one of three buddies of his, all various different sizes and heights. But they all had something in common other than being intoxicated morons…

"Look, what I was saying earlier was that yeah, that Amon guy was way smarter than people give him credit for, even if he turned out to be a freakin bender fraud." The one who's been talking began, downing another shot of the liquor quickly before resuming, wiping his lip. "It is the time for non-bender's to rise, but not with some watersplashing dog taking heed, you need a PROPER leader."

"So, basically a non-bender, Okashi?" The big member of the four asked, looking at his glass before giving a hiccup.

The greasy haired one gave a drunk smirk. "Well, DUH Shu, goes without saying." He said before turning and smacking the behind of a passing by waitress, giving a stupid smirk. "HEY, keep 'em going thunder thighs!" The drunk known as Okashi said. He and Shu laughed as the waitress muttered some angry and vulgar words about them, going over to another patron, who sat near the bartender, asking for his order.

"Hey, i just noticed something, how come the… wha, triplets? How come they ain't drinking?" Shu slurred out, pointing at the other two, both identical twins with tanned skin, with one having a goatee and the other having no facial hair, who didn't look bothered in the slightest.

"We told you many times…" One twin, the one with the goatee began…

"Go and I do not partake in drinking alcohol like you two." The other twin without facial hair, known as Kho, finished for his twin before the both sipped their cups of water at the same exact time.

"Sunch of bissy asses…" Okashi chuckled at the two, not even noticing how his mispronounced what he said about them, the two ignoring that butchering of grammar.

"That said, we do agree with you, even if the Equalist Movement has gone and went, it should start anew." Kho pointed out as Shu nodded, patting him and his twin on their backs.

"See, tell ya' they's smart!" The big guy chuckled to the two's slight annoyance, not noticing it. "No more should them watersplashers, firestarters, rock golems and airheads be in control, but pure blooded humans, with no fancy tricks!" He said, getting a little loud.

Okashi could help but give a smug smile at hearing this from his boys. "Glad you all get the picture, someone should make Republic City grea-"

But the leader stopped noticing something behind his friends. "Hey, Shu, six o'clock."

"But, it's almost 11:30?" Shu noted, tilting his head at a nearby clock, the booze reeking from his breath.

"No, ya' big bastard, YOUR six o'clock…" Okashi deadpanned, pointing behind Shu, who looked as did the twins, noticing an older gentleman in a blue suit with a young raven headed date of his. The guy bent some water and turned it into ice cubes for their glasses of fancy alcohol. "Isn't that our buddy, the mover theater owner near 15th street and Lau-Ten Ave?"

"The one whose behind on his 'rent'?" Go noted as they saw the date seem to make her cup of sake heat up with a small flame she bended with her hand.

"Very same brother…" Kho noted too.

"Very same indeed." Okashi smirked to himself, an idea coming into mind. "Let's hold back on the drinks for now, keep our minds focused for when we talk business…"

* * *

"So, WHERE'S OUR RENT?" Okashi asked loudly, watching the twins throw the Mover Theater owner against a brick wall as hard as they could, having followed him and his date out of the bar, ambushing them in a dark alleyway where no one could see them work.

"L-L-Look, I see you're mad, but I got the money, it's back- AHH!" The Mover Theater owner screamed as he felt two of his fingers get bent backwards by Go's own hands and two others breaking sideways due to Kho, looking at 'em.

A muffled scream was heard coming from his date, who Shu held tightly in his arms, one hand over her mouth, starting to tear at the sight.

"Please don't make too loud of noises OR try any firebending, just make things worse." Shu pointed out, slightly increasing his grip on her mouth.

"Look, i know you… what's the term…" Okashi began, snapping his fingers, mock thinking before remembering. "Waterbending freaks tend to be cheap, but that liquor you and your date were having back at the bar? Not exactly common NOR easy to pay for, so clearly you must have the Yuan to prevent us from making some unnecessary renovations, around, say, five thousand?"

"Y-Ye-YES, and you guys are pissed, but i can- AHH SPIRITS!" The Mover Theater screamed out, feeling a big blade enter his leg, just below his shin. "I GOT THE MONEY, I GOT IT!"

"You do?" Okashi asked, holding the blade, slightly digging it more into the leg, getting a louder scream.

"Ye-Yes! YES! I don't have it all on me, BUT…" The Mover Theater Owner grunted, taking out his wallet and throwing it at Go, who caught it. "Whatever Yuan is in there, think of it as a down payment, In fact…" He began, taking off a fancy ring and showing it to Okashi, who inspected it.

"That right there is a ring made from Platinum AND Moon Stone, that's worth at least a thousand Yuan right there!"

Okashi looked at the ring in one hand, holding the blade in the other, keeping the injured man in place, looking over the metal.

"Huh, he ain't kidding, this fetch for a pretty piece!" The leader said, throwing it at Shu, who somehow caught it, despite having his hands covered.

"Think this ring suits me, dollface?" Shu asked the frightened girl, who still couldn't talk, showing the ring in front of her face.

"Know what, I like the sound of the offer, sounds fair…" Okashi explained, taking the blade out of the Mover Theater Owner's leg, making his victim drop to the ground holding his leg wound. "Heck, it's quite very tempting to go with, i'm just about ready to say yes!"

"Oh, thank the spirits" the Mover Theater Owner sighed in pain with his eyes closed, but happy he was able to make a bargain...

Only for a split second, as he suddenly felt a sharp jab in his ear, blocking out all sound in his left ear, leaving the Mover Theater owner barely any hearing, just enough to hear his date give a louder muffled scream of horror at the blade currently embedded in his left ear, digging deep into his head.

He looked at Okashi with dying eyes. The nonbender's glare was full of malice.

"Then again, what's the point of making a deal with you, a dirty Watersplasher?" The leader said with an evil smirk as he let the horrible slur out before ripping the blade out, dropping his victim's corpse to the ground, wiping the blood off of it on his suit, curious.

"Curious question Sho, Kho, how much was in his wallet?"

Both twin brothers responded by looking in the wallet, though their facial reactions didn't show… much emotions, their slightly irked tones said it all.

"Around sixty Yuan…"

"Think our friend was planning on skipping the bill."

"Damn…" Okashi thought to himself, about to put it away when he saw his victim's date still in Shu's arms… and had an idea. "But hey, win some, lose some, no biggie, besides…"

Shu saw his buddies look on his face as did the twins, realizing what ideas were forming, especially when the blade wielder took said weapon and put it up to the now crying lady's face.

"I'm sure his little date wouldn't mind picking up the tab in her own way."

The firebender girl realized what he meant within a nanosecond, trying to bend and scream for help, but Shu's grip was too tight and painful against her arms and mouth as he threw her down into some nearby garbage cans, only to suddenly feel Okashi's blade against her throat.

"Don't try any tricks or screaming, ya' firespewing bitch, promise you'll enjoy it after a while…" Okashi sneered in a disgusting manner, wagging his tongue at her as Shu held her wrists with one strong hand and began pulling at her dress, making her want to scream for help, but she knew what'd happen as Okashi watched her frightened golden eyes.

"Shu, cause you were so good keeping her quiet, you get the first go at her. Then I'll get in a round, afterwards…" He kept saying, getting sick enjoyment out of this, he turned to the twins, who had been off on the side. "Then the twins will- … ah, Kho? Where's Go?"

To say the four, or rather three Equalist sympathizers, were confused would be an understatement, especially Kho as he looked around, dumbfounded as he only JUST took his eyes off his twin for a few seconds.

"Go? GO?! WHERE ARE YOU?" Kho yelled out as Okashi took the blade off of the firebending girl, getting near his ally.

"Wasn't he just next to you?" Okashi asked, looking around himself.

"He was LITERALLY just next to me a few seconds ago, then suddenly he…" Kho began before something was heard dripping on their side, getting everyone's attention as something wet dripped onto both Shu and the Firebender, with the both looking at each other seeing what dripped on it.

The alleyway may have been dark, but there was no mistaking it, whatever was dripping on them was sticky… and red.

"Guys…" Shu began to be as freaked out as his intended victim before something fell HARD against a nearby dumpster, causing a loud wet thud to be heard, causing the four to look at it, the sight making the Firebender scream in horror as the other three looked in terror.

It was Go… his face frozen in fear as his throat looked to have been ripped open, and the side of his head was caved in, presumably from the impact it made against the dumpster, which also made his neck break at an uncertain angle.

"BROTHER, NO!" Kho cried out, rushing over to his brother's corpse as the other three watched, Okashi too rushing over, looking up for any sign of where the body fell from, or WHO threw it down.

"Spirits, what just happened!"

Before Shu could respond, the Firebending girl was able to create a small flame, sticking it against his wrist, making the big man scream in burning pain as he let go, allowing the almost rape victim to break free and go the opposite direction as Shu snarled in pain.

"BURNING BITCH! I'LL-"

"Screw her Shu, let's just get out of here NOW!" Okashi commanded, not wanting to be here any longer, rushing over to his buddy, looking at his arm. "And it's a little mark, quit your bitching! Kho, come on!"

Kho, who had been crying over his brother's body, held his eyes closed. "I will avenge you brother." He said before turning around to his allies as they too also turned around to look at their ally, just in time to see… SOMETHING now standing behind Kho.

"KHO! BEHIND YOU!" Shu yelled out, but that only gave the remaining twin enough time to just see the figure behind him before he was grabbed and both sank into what seemed like the shadows they were standing on, making the remaining two even more horrified as Kho's attempted scream faded quickly.

"What was that? WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE SPIRITS WAS THAT?!" Shu cried out, both rushing to where Kho was just taken, looking around, looking at his now only partner, grabbing him. "Okashi, WHAT THE SHIT WAS THAT?!"

"Trap door, hidden passage, Earthbender…" Was all Okashi could mutter to himself, looking at the blood soaked stone ground they were standing on.

"No no…" Shu began, shaking his head. "There's no trap door nor hidden passage and that most certainly was NO Earthbender, that was something else!"

"Okay then Mr. Smart Guy, then what was-" Okashi began to yell back, only for something to be thrown at him from a shadowy part of the alley, knocking him to the side on the ground against the wall, confusing him, only to realize to his and Shu's shock it was a severed leg, and judging by the color of the skin being tan.

"Oh m-m-m-man, Kho?" Shu muttered out before two more things were thrown at his body from a different angle, yet also from the shadows.

While not enough to knock him down, what did knock him down a peg was it was the torn pieces of their ally.

Or more specifically, Kho's upper torso looked to have been ripped apart diagonally around the chest area, leaving the rest of his stomach still attached to his lower half, except for his missing leg.

And from the screaming face emulating from the head, Kho felt every single second of him being pulled apart by… something until the effects were achieved.

Yet before either thugs could react, they looked up and saw a lone shape standing in the way of their only escape before stepping forward once or twice.

But it was enough to see what, or rather who, it was that did these killings.

It was an older male, looking around his mid-50's, looking to be light skinned and homeless, judging by his dark clothes looking to be in somewhat rough shape, though they could make out the gold and red colors among the black of his hooded jacket, shirt, pants and boots.

But what caught their eyes was two things, one was that on the side of his waist was a sword sheath.

And second, was that this unknown figure, with his long scruffy looking black hair and unkept beard, seemed to have his left eye and ear bandaged up in a makeshift manner, while the lone eye was focused solely on them, his intentions clear.

"Well…" Shu heard Okashi say behind him in a frightened voice, turning around to see his buddy frightened, but now standing up as he too got up. "What are you waiting for, get him!"

The big man looked dumbfounded at Okashi before turning to the figure, then back at his friend. "SCREW THAT."

"Come on you big baby, you've handled worse!"

"You can't be serious!"

"JUST DO IT!" Okashi demanded, nudging Shu forward against his own will as the big man turned back at the figure, who just stood there, having moved an inch.

"Do-don't… make me hurt you man…" Shu said, fright in his voice, holding up his fists.

"Then do it already."

Shu froze, as did Okashi behind him, as the man said those words, his voice certainly showing age with some rasp to it, with that single gold eye focused on him. "Come on, make those Equalists proud…"

Both thugs were, to say the least, shocked to realize that this figure knew what they were saying back at the bar.

"I heard you back at the bar, ranting like a bunch of stupid idiots about how the Equalists should come back…" The man said, taking another step as he pointed at the two, keeping his eye on them. "You want to start that movement anew? Well, here's your chance, in fact…" He said, dropping his hand down. "I'll give you the first shot."

Shu watched this, a bead of sweat dripping down his face, quickly turning to Okashi, who while just as surprised, motioned him to get at it, turning back around at the man.

"Ah shit."

And then, Shu rushed towards the figure, swinging his fist as hard as he could at the homeless man's face, making contact before stopping right behind him, breathing hard as how much that took, even having to kneel down.

"Really, was that it?"

Shu froze in place, not even turning around as he could hear the voice again… but it wasn't just behind him, but it was like it was moving all over.

"Must say, even for a wannabe Equalist, I'm not impressed."

Before Shu could even respond, something shiny burst out from below him, as if it came out of his own shadow, and thrust right up into his lower jaw, coming right out the top of his head, blood forming from the exit wound and pooling out of his open mouth onto the ground.

What he was not able to see was the homeless man having his sword, a rather beautifully made katana, stuck into his own shadow, and when he pulled it out, it was covered in Shu's blood as the blade came out of the large man, causing him to fall dead.

This was the moment Okashi couldn't take it anymore and tried rushing past the man, only for the Homeless Man to quickly slash at his leg with his katana, causing the thug to trip and seemingly fall into a nearby shadow, screaming in horror until it was cut off…

But then from yet another shadow, this time from a nearby wall, Okashi was pushed out, yet with… something around his neck, something black, like it was part of the shadow it came out of, with the thug trying to struggle and escape..

"If i could be honest with you…" The man began, putting his sword away, approaching Okashi as he moved his hand upwards, causing the odd tentacle to let him go, slithering back into the shadows.

"Even know you were acting like a complete moron, spouting off how things would be if the Equalists were run by someone who was actually a non-bender and not that asshole Amon. I was fine with just letting you and your group of idiots go, that was strike one…"

Okashi, having tried catching his breath from being caught around his throat, tried to see if there were any openings to escape, but the Homeless Man moved his fingers around, causing the shadows around the thug to vibrate, as if warning him not to risk being stupid.

"Next thing i knew, you decided to assault those two benders on a date, so I had to intervene, nothing i can really do about but just go and kick the crap out of all of you. That's strike two…"

Just then, the man thrust both his hands up against the wall, right next to the sides of Okashi's head, the look of fright on the Equalist sympathizers pasted all over his face as the killer closed his one good eye.

"But then, you just HAD to go and murder that guy before thinking of, let alone attempt to rape the girl. That…"

Okashi realized what the man was getting at as he felt his hands grab the sides of his head, shivering as he did not want to know what was next.

"Please, I'm sorry, I won't ever insult or assault anymore bend-"

But before he could finish his sentence, Okashi was shut up when the man, now with a look of pure hate on his face, opened his good eye lid again… showing it changed from gold to a GLOWING BLOOD RED.

"... WAS STRIKE FUCKING THREE."

"... oh spirits, oh spir-AAAAHHHHH!"

A loud pitiful scream of horrific pain erupted from Okashi's mouth as the Homeless Man suddenly drove and dug his thumbs deep into his eyes, getting as deep as he could, watching the blood squirt out as Okashi's body shook around madly, his arms flailing around, not able to defend himself as he kept screaming

Not that it mattered as the Homeless Man was in full control anyway, his red eye focused as something rang out in his head, and whatever it was, it made him want to go over the line, so gripping the sides of Okashi's head and hair as much as he could, thumbs still the thug's eye sockets, he pulled each hand in the opposite direction, resulting in the already blinded victim's head breaking open in two like a head of cabbage, blood squirting all over the brick building wall, ground and whatever object was around and even on the killer's face as the screams finally died out.

Getting his fingers out, the killer threw the mutilated corpse onto the ground as he looked down at it.

"Even after all of that, he still wouldn't shut up until the end."

But then, a noise was heard, like something hit a trash can, making the Homeless Man turn around and walk towards the source of the sound and stopped…

… it was the young Firebending girl who the others tried assaulting, frightened and wide-eyed, more than likely saw everything the Homeless Man had done while she hid behind the knocked over trash can.

But just as she held up her hands and closed her eyes, flames forming, the Homeless Man stopped, kneeling down in front of her, ignoring that she just tried to firebend at him.

"Hey, relax, not here to hurt you. I'm sorry I wasn't able to save your date."

Hearing those words, the Firebender girl reopened her eyes, turning and seeing his glowing red eye turn back to it's normal gold, confused at the killer, who was acting kind to her.

"Come on out, it's okay…" The Homeless Man began before turning at what he had done, then back at her, getting why she was so scared of him. "Trust me, no one will be hurting you, just… please go home, okay?"

The girl was confused at this change in pace, more so when the Homeless Man stood back up and walked away from her, headed straight into the dark shadows, seeming to just vanish within them.

* * *


	2. Chapter One- For Every New Life, One Ends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much of a warning except for the aftermath of those murders in graphic detail.

Narook's noodle bar was filling up quickly. With lunchtime came rush hour and the place was bustling with hungry patrons.

The Avatar crew walked in, eyeing the full restaurant. There was barely enough room to walk between tables. The popular noodles tended to attract a lot of business.

"Dammit." Bolin pouted.

"I've got us." Asami walked up to the counter as the rest of the crew watched. "Reservation for Sato."

The waiter checked the list in front of him, running his finger down the written names until he found her. He bowed his head and gestured towards the back of the restaurant. "Right this way."

He led them to a free booth, taking their orders. Seaweed noodles all around.

"You really do think of everything," Korra said, snatching a breadstick from the little woven basket in the center of the table. Her girlfriend gave her a knowing smile. Of course she thought of everything.

Bolin leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. "It sure is nice to have a day off like this."

"Like you need days off." His brother retorted.

"Hey! I'll have you know filing papers for Zhu-Li is hard work! There's remembering where certain ones go, making sure she gets the right ones, there's being away from Opal."

Mako rolled his eyes and chuckled.

Bolin was right though. The crew rarely got enough time to hang out as much anymore, with Korra getting pulled this way and that on Avatar duties, Mako keeping the streets safe, Asami redesigning and rebuilding the city, and Bolin... doing whatever Bolin does. It was nice to find the time to sit down and enjoy each other's company like the good times. Korra had been meaning to find some time alone with Asami too but that also was proving difficult.

While they chatted and caught up, the waiter came back with their orders, placing four bowls of seaweed noodles in front of each of them. They smelt divine and the crew couldn't wait to dive in.

They were interrupted by the waiter again.

"Sorry to disturb," he turned to Mako. "There's a message for you from Chief Beifong. She says it's urgent and she gave these directions." He handed him the piece of paper from his hand. He had noted down the street name from Lin in a hurry.

Mako sighed. "Did she say what it was?"

The waiter gulped. "I don't know, Sir. But she... she didn't sound good."

"Right. Thank you."

The waiter bowed his head and went back to his duties.

The firebender turned towards the others. "Sorry. Seems like something came up." He looked down at the note dejectedly. "I have to leave."

"Aw, no way!" Bolin said. "Can't you tell Chief to wait?"

"Sorry, I think it's bad. I really should go see."

Korra didn't want to let their one day together go to waste. "We can come with you," she said, getting a few confused looks. "I mean, how hard could police work be?" She smirked.

"If you're sure but…" Mako hesitated. "It might not be pretty, guys. Could be a murder scene from all I know. I don't think you want to see it."

"Nonsense," Asami stepped in. "You think we haven't seen worse?"

Mako hoped that was the case, but by the way the waiter said she sounded… he wasn't sure himself.

"Alright. Lin won't mind having you tag along I suppose." He threw his coat on as he stood up and the rest of the crew followed him out. Asami left money for the uneaten noodles on the table, as well as a hefty tip for the waiter.

* * *

The sky was clouded over, and a few droplets of rain fell. The sidewalks were damp from the morning rain and the headlights of the passing vehicles reflected in the puddles on the roads. They hopped into Asami's car and Mako gave her directions as she drove through the city, on their way to the murder scene.

When they pulled up, they could already see Lin and a small team of officers studying the evidence. They gathered around a dark alley, but what they were staring at wasn't immediately obvious. The crew stepped out, walking closer.

The Chief saw them approach and shook her head. "Sorry you have to see this." Just as she said that, the crew noticed the puddles of blood across the concrete. They followed the splutters further into the alley, eyes widening. Their guts twisted and they had to hold back their gags.

"Shit…" Korra whispered, realizing what she was looking at.

A large body being covered with a white blanket, with a red stain forming from where the head is, the raindrops helping form a shape over it, similar to another that they saw being led out.

Dismembered body parts lay scattered in the alley, coagulated blood dripping thickly out of them. The rain had spread it across the hard ground, staining the concrete a deep red. She struggled to figure out where each piece of the corpse was, having been flung like a ragdoll in the darkness.

Their eyes then fell on the body resting against the wall, its head burst open beyond recognition. A crushed eyeball sat on its lap, the only remainder of the ripped open skull. Blood and brain matter littered the poor soul's shirt.

"It's a hell of a sight," Lin said. "Not anything like we've seen. For a long time anyway." She had her notepad open and pen ready to take notes of evidence, but they saw she had written nothing. The shock of it all was enough to throw even Lin Beifong off.

Then as if to kill the mood, the sound of someone throwing up rang out and the Chief knew fully well who was to blame.

"Bolin, come on, don't contaminate the crime scene!" Lin said, turning to see said Earthbender having finished vomiting, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, it just happened!" Bolin whined out loud, trying to keep himself from repeating what he just did. "I mean, Mako said it was a murder scene, not a butcher's shop!"

As Mako tried correcting his brother and Lin tried her best to ignore it, something caught Korra's attention, nudging at Asami's shoulder to get her to look, if anything to ignore the bodies.

"What is it?" Asami whispered to Korra, who pointed at a dumpster.

"Something in the dumpster…" The Avatar noted, having seen the lid of it close a slight bit before looking at Lin and nudging her head towards it. "Hey, Lin."

The Chief took notice of the two and what Korra was insinuating and signaled everyone to be quiet before she slowly made her way to the dumpster, looking at everyone before finally flipping the lid up and was surprised to see a scared black haired woman, her clothes looking torn.

"Oh shit. Mako!" Lin yelled out, trying to help the woman out of the dumpster as the officer made his way over to help her out. "Someone get her a medic, I think she's in shock."

"He… he…" The woman began, but couldn't quite get the words out.

"It's okay, we're here to help." Korra said softly, trying to calm the girl down.

"I-Ah… Avatar Korra?" The Firebender girl asked, confused to see her, but getting a positive nod from the Avatar.

"What did you see?" Korra asked calmly, trying to be as helpful as she could as the scared girl looked at her, then back at the corpses of the men who killed her date and tried assaulting her.

"He… He… he came out of the shadows and… and…" She began, only to feel light headed "Oh…" Was all she got out before fainting.

"Damn! Where's that medic?" Lin yelled out at the other officers on the scene, seeing this.

There was a bustle as they went for the medic, Lin trying to rest the girl against the wall.

"Get her some water too!" She called out. Everything about this crime scene was getting worse and worse by the minute. As she looked around her, she realized they just needed to get what they needed and get out of there. The cleanup team would have a hell of a job.

Mako had started taking his own notes on the scene. He struggled to keep it together, having to examine the gory remnants. What's worse was that he could barely get any idea of how anyone could have done this. Having taken on so many people at once, he considered whether this was the work of multiple people, had to have been. He came to stare at the exploded skull, trying to understand what happened there.

"Do you..." Bolin gagged. "Do you think someone tore that head open?"

Mako honestly didn't know what to say. "I... Maybe?" Was that possible? Could someone do that with their bare hands? He dreaded thinking they might have a blood bender on the loose.

But that couldn't be possible, while some of the victims looked like they were ripped apart, he had spotted a slash at the leg and he heard one of the attendants loading up the corpses mention how one was stabbed up from the jaw and out the top of his head, so clearly some sort of blade was involved.

They side stepped out of the way as a medic made her way through the group of officers. She hesitated a little, seeing the massacre. She caught sight of the fainted girl and rushed over, kneeling down next to her. She checked her vitals, but everything was fine. The pulse was a little fast, but judging by what she saw, that was to be expected.

She went into her satchel, pulling out a vial of smelling salts. The vile stench of ammonia diffused out as soon as she pulled the cork off it. She held the vial up to the girl's face.

The firebender's breath hitched and she coughed, coming to. She took a few deep breaths and slowly opened her eyes, feeling her stomach churn and holding back a few retches from the fainting.

An officer rushed through with the glass of water Lin asked for, handing it to the Chief. They let the girl take a few sips to calm herself down.

"Alright, kid," Lin said. She tried to soften her voice. "You're safe now." She waited a little bit for her to gather herself, looking around her. Registering the police uniforms she started to understand what was happening, relief settling in.

"Th-thank you," she said.

"It's alright. Now, can you tell your name and maybe also try telling us as much as you remember."

The girl gulped, casting her eyes on the ground. "Ming-Na…" She began before trying to comprehend her own memories. "I… I'm not sure how…" she started, struggling to find the words. "He just… he just killed them all. But they… they attacked me and my date, they killed him…" she let out a whimper.

"It's okay Ming-Na, take your time" Lin said, still keeping her tone calm.

The firebender girl nodded, trying hard to carry on. "I don't know where he came from. It was like… it was like he appeared from the shadows and he also… he also vanished in them…" She looked down into the alley, as though she would still find him waiting there. "He saved me. After those four killed my date, they threw me into the trash and were going to… they were…" she shuddered, tugging at her torn clothes, Lin knew for certain what she was suggesting. "But once he killed them, he was in and out darkness. I could barely see what was happening."

Lin rubbed her face. They couldn't have possibly gotten a more confusing statement, not that she couldn't blame the girl. "Is that everything you can remember?" She didn't want to press the poor girl too much, but they needed as much information as they could get.

"I… I don't know how he did it. How he did any of this. He… he controlled this… these long arms that were just… it was like they came from the shadows, as if made of them. And he had this sword." She wracked her brain, trying to describe it. "What I was able to see, I could tell it was not cheap."

That seemed to be it for Lin. "Alright, thank you Ming-Na." She helped the girl stand. "These guys will take you home. Try and stay safe, ok? If you remember anything else, do please visit our station."

The girl nodded, letting herself be led away by a couple of police officers before she stopped, turning back at Lin, remembering something else.

"Wait, before he vanished, he... " Ming-Na began, going back to the Chief, along with the others. "He sorta said the same thing, he said… for me to go home too."

That piqued Lin's curiosity, a killer, some vigilante of sorts, who politely asked the girl he saved to go home, but she nodded. "Thank you for that, miss." She said as she watched the witness be left off again before turning to her crew. "We've got a good one on our hands it seems."

"Did she mean that he…" Korra thought for a moment, not wanting to sound stupid. "Did she mean that this guy bent…" She then began looking all around the area around them. "Well, shadows?"

The Chief rolled her eyes. "Could mean anything truth be told. I've never heard of shadow bending before, I mean, it's possible she could have been seeing things, I did smell liquor on her, but to play safe, let's keep thinking."

Mako looked out at the dismembered limbs. The more he looked, the more shadow bending didn't seem so hard to believe.

"We've gotta get going, Mako," Lin said. "We need to log all our evidence." She let out a sigh and walked towards the police cars.

Mako nodded and looked to the rest of the crew. "Guess we'll see each other another time."

Korra wanted to say it's been fun while it lasted but... "Good luck with this Mako, Chief." She tried not to take another look around, but she couldn't help it. "If you need anything, let us know."

He nodded, before following Lin to the police car.

Korra felt Asami's hand in hers. "I was wrong," she said. "We really haven't seen worse."

She rubbed her hand with her thumb for comfort. "I know."

Bolin had already started walking away. He'd seen enough blood for the rest of his life. They found him waiting in the car for them.

"Will you drop me off at home?" he asked. He hoped Opal would be in. He needed her support right now.

"Of course," Asami said.

* * *

After dropping off Bolin at his and Opal's place, where the Airbender had indeed been home, somehow having heard some reports of what happened, along with the Earthbender wisely asking his love to please not to mention it for at least a couple hours, along with everyone getting a small, if needed chuckle out of it, Korra and Asami made their way back to their home at the latter's manor, stepping out of the Satomobile later in the day as the rain let up.

"That…" Asami began, trying to process her feelings as the ride back had been, for a better lack of term, quiet. "... was not how i expected our day off to go."

"Tell me about it." Korra awkwardly snorted, as if trying to find humor, but she couldn't get the sight of the bodies out of her mind, she already had so much planned for the day, especially a certain thing or two, but it's like that scene back in the alley threw a wrench in it.

But the Avatar made her way around the vehicle and put on a smile for her girlfriend. "BUT, Mako and the Chief are on the case, they'll be able to track down this…" She began saying, trying to think of a term for the killer. "Shadowbender or whatever he is, and lock him up with a bunch of spotlights on him."

"Shadowbender?" Asami asked, curious at Korra's choice of nickname for whoever did that back at the alleyway, getting a slightly goofy blush from the Water Tribe girl.

"Too on the nose?"

"If I could be honest, it sounds like you've been watching too many of Varrick's movers, those scary ones where some kind of spirit is involved."

"Well, not just them, those mystery and sea pirate programs on the radio are so addictive."

The owner of Future Industries couldn't help but laugh out loud at how silly her love was as they made their way around the property, heading near a back deck they were having built to look over part of the city and the Spirit Portal.

That was one of many reasons she loved Korra the way she did, for all the big powerful talk and the fact that she was the almighty Avatar, the one who could bend all the elements, was the bridge between the regular and Spirit worlds, and when push came to shove, she would not back down from any evildoer, Korra's silly side would come out and help make her forget about harsh realities in the world, even if just for a moment.

"Oh, my silly Water Tribe girl, always know how to get me to laugh." Asami smiled, holding Korra's hands, giving a quick peck on her cheek, seeing the redness form up on her cheeks.

"T-Thanks Asami." The Avatar slightly sputtered, before her mind began traveling, to something she had on the mind before the whole deal in the Alleyway happened.

She remembered back during that long period where she was healing after Zaheer's attack, the mental and physical rehabilitation she endured, then there was the whole deal with Kuvira and the Earth Kingdom, the turf war and then the Earth Empire again with that brainwashing bastard Guan.

But during all of that, amongst everyone who supported her, from the brothers, Lin, Tenzin and the Air Nomads, Varrick and Zhu-Li, even Wu with his bad singing that somehow saved the day, everyone who had lent a hand in one way or another, there she was, Asami Sato.

The daughter of the man who originally worked with the Equalists in a misadvised attempt to rebel against the Benders, but followed her heart, who went through her own trials, even having to watch her own father give his life to save hers.

Throughout all of that, Asami powered on through and made her own path against all her own hardships and always stuck by her friends and loved ones, and her.

That's what Korra loved about Asami the most, so much so…

"Hey, Asami…" She began, getting the raven haired heiress' attention.

"Yeah Korra?"

Oh SPIRITS, she was not ready for this.

Okay, she was, but when push came to shove in this case, Korra was sputtering down like a Satomobile in need of a tune up, something which Asami was quite good with, oh, that thought of seeing her get dirty working on one was not helping her out.

"Ah, yeah, um… I…" Korra said, trying to find the right words, fumbling with her pockets, trying to find something, why didn't she think of cue cards or have any help?!

"I've been thinking and-"

"You, thinking?" Asami said, a coy playful smirk on her face, making a quick joke, which was so not helping.

"Not helping. Anyway, so much has been going through my head recently, in spite of what we just saw and…" Korra trailed off, having found what she was looking for, yes! "Okay, good!"

It was then Asami saw that Korra was taking out something out of her coat pocket, a bit confused, what was...

"Right!" Korra said, finally taking a deep breath and clearing her head and began to take the object out of her pocket, just showing Asami it was a small red felt box. "I was hoping for this to happen during a better time, with the help of the others, but-"

Then as if fate wanted to keep making Korra her plaything, a random black blur zoomed by and took the box out of her hand, catching the two off guard, Korra's eyes becoming as wide as plates.

"WHAT THE?! OH, COME ON!" Korra yelled out, both her and Asami turning their heads in the direction the blur went and saw what it was.

It was, of all things, a small WolfCat, must have been a stray that got on the property. Certainly hard to miss due to it's almost completely black fur, except for a big brown patch on it's belly, it's face and eyes having what looked like a permanent deadpan look to it.

And it was pawing away at the red box of Korra's like a toy.

"Oh for Aang's sake, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" The Avatar belted out, dumbfounded by this happening, beginning to make her way towards the stray. "Come on, that's not yours!"

But the WolfCat, regardless of the look on it's face, spotted the Water Tribe girl with it's light green eyes and gave a hiss before taking the box in it's mouth and began to run around the property, the Avatar on its tail, pun not intended.

"Get back here, damnit!" Korra yelled out, rushing after the WolfCat, all while Asami watched this entire time, on one hand rather amused, but on the other, rather dumbfounded to see the one and only Avatar looking to be bested by a small animal.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour, but was really just five minutes, the Wolfcat made its way towards Asami and jumped up into her arms, surprising the owner of Sato Industries as it suddenly began to relax in her arms, as if tired from the chase.

"Okay… furball…" Korra began saying, having to take deep breaths from all the running, slowly making her way back over to the two. "That… wasn't fair at all… lucky Naga ain't here… for me to sic on…"

Then she saw the WolfCat let the box she had go right into Asami's hand, who caught it, her girlfriend beginning to open it, which made her voice go small for just a word.

"You?"

Asami herself was curious about the box - why was Korra so focused on chasing after this poor cute animal for taking it, not like there wasn't a-

Then it dawned on Asami, her eyes becoming as wide as Korra's earlier.

… she was not...

To be sure, Asami completely opened the box and saw resting inside a simple silver ring, with two small pieces of Jade and Sapphire on it, looking like they were mixed together

Quickly putting the WolfCat into Korra's arms, Asami looked closer at the ring, time seeming to stop in place and all sound just escaping her as she looked under the band, engraved were the words "Be my Avatar forever."

Asami knew what this was, she knew DAMN WELL what this was, and Korra could tell too from the look on her face.

"Is… is-ARE YOU?…" Asami began sputtering herself, trying to find the proper words, let alone forming them in a proper way, only to notice Korra taking the moment, if awkwardly as the WolfCat moved itself onto her shoulders, to get on one knee.

"Um… so, ah, Ms. Asami Sato?" Korra began, giving a gulp, closing her eyes tightly, but as they say, fuck it.

"Will you…" She began, before opening her eyes, making sure her Cyan eyes were looking right into Asami's light green eyes. "... marry me?"

Asami was speechless… well, she wasn't, but she couldn't believe what she was hearing, her girlfriend of the past few years, ever since what happened with Kuvira… was proposing to her.

Truth be told, Asami was actually expecting to be the one proposing to Korra first, but…

Here the Avatar was, in her backyard, a WolfCat on her shoulders, on her knees, asking her to be her wife.

But yet, Asami just had to make sure of one thing.

"Before I give… my answer, just one thing, just answer me this."

Korra heard that, eyes slightly worried, but gulped and nodded.

"What?"

"... was the stray WolfCat part of the proposal?"

Korra herself looked confused, to say the least, looking at the animal, who turned it's own face at her's, that deadpan look on it's face not giving anything away, except for a small tilt of the head, as if both were caught off guard by the question before the Avatar turned back at Asami, a slight goofy, if shy grin forming

"... and if i say yes?"

That earned a chuckle out of Asami, who took the WolfCat off Korra's shoulder and onto the ground before helping her up, a look in her eyes as truthful as the smile on her face.

"Doesn't matter, I'm still going to say yes."

And that sealed the deal as Asami embraced her lover in her arms and kissed her deeply, which Korra returned the favor.

Not what Korra was planning at all, but she didn't care, Asami said yes.

From somewhat rivals, to trusted friends, to girlfriends, and now, the both are engaged, nothing else mattered at that moment nor could ruin it.

Except for the sound of a loud meow getting the two's attention as they broke up the kiss to look at the WolfCat, which looked up at the two wanting attention, which Korra smiled and kneeled down, so it could jump into her arms.

"Well, guess now, along with Naga, it's the four of us, you better pay the rent." Korra smiled as the WolfCat, while still keeping that weird look on its face, nuzzled into her arms.

"Fumi."

That got Korra's attention as she looked at Asami, currently petting the animal behind the ears, which it clearly enjoyed.

"It was my grandmother's name, I see her as a 'Fumi', it suits her."

That peaked Korra's attention.

"How do you know it's a girl?"

"Just can, but that's beside the point." Asami smiled back at her now fiancée, who returned one back and both kissed each other again, both slipping their free hands into each other's, the ring in each other's hand as Naga came over, curious as to what was going on.

The next thing Korra knew, the both of them were entering their bedroom, after having brought Fumi inside and giving her a bowl of water to drink, with Asami putting on a coy smile as she lightly pushed Korra on the large bed.

"So, question, will you be taking my name or just keep things the way they are?"

Korra knew where this was leading, it happening plenty of times since that night they entered the Spirit Portal, but this time, it was different, and she couldn't have it any other way.

"Whatever pleases you, my wife, though I personally love the sound of 'Korra Sato'..." She purred out as Asami crawled on the bed up to her and resumed their kiss from outside, as they decided to spend the rest of the day in the bedroom, ready to spend the rest of their lives together.

* * *

But while a new life was beginning in that part of Republic City, one was already in progress in a different part, not knowing what another had in store…

An older gentleman made his way down the street towards the apartment complex he lived in, bag of groceries in hand.

He had seen better years, judging by the bald spot and gut, but kept to himself, looking around the street, seeing all the various kinds of people, adults, kids, the occasional bird or two.

He also noted seeing some teenage Earthbender with some others playing a joke on one of them, raising the ground under the other's legs, making them trip, him and the others laughing at the other.

The sight made the man mutter something negative to himself, but otherwise kept going until he made it in front of his place, spotting a familiar grey haired face juggling some metal cans in some ragged clothes, a sign near him asking for people to help him out.

"Hey Ju-Shi, offering entertainment i see." The man asked the juggler, who looked and gave him a grin showing off his various missing teeth, letting the cans fall on the ground.

"Know it, Mr. Pi-Lao! Just providing a service until the talking mushrooms come by with some positive words!"

The man, known as Pi-Lao gave a slight chuckle, knowing that while the homeless guy certainly had a screw loose or two, he was harmless and offered a laugh.

"And what might they be saying?"

"That dark times are ahead…" Ju-Shi said, an almost serious tone coming out of his mouth that caught the man off guard, least till the homeless man began juggling again. "The flying lemurs are planning on making a killing by investing in Cabbage Corp and doing the Flammeo dance!"

Okay, now that Pi-Lao expected out of Ju-Shi, shaking his head at the man's rantings until noticing another homeless guy on the same street, sitting near a stoop of an apartment currently under construction, looking to mind his own business.

"Hey, looks like you have a new neighbor." The man noted, pointing out to his partially toothless friend the other homeless guy who had some kind of object on him, his hood up on his jacket.

"Well, ain't he new, first time I saw him all day." Ju-Shi noted, trying to get a bead on the guy, then shaking it off. "Then again, I was rather focused on a RatPigeon driving down the street in a fancy Satomobile."

That made Pi-Lao sigh to himself, taking some bread from his bag and giving it to Ju-Shi, who was happy to take it. "Right, you hear about those four guys getting wasted near Kan's?"

"Oh YEAH, word going around my fellow guys without homes that some kind of dark spirit messed them boys up good!" The homeless man said, having heard about it, word traveling fast about it, getting a bite into the bread. "Apparently pissed it off when they killed some feller and tried getting bad touchy with his date."

"Seriously?" Pi-Lao noted, not buying it. "You sure it wasn't some Triads pissed off at some small time guys invading on their turf?"

"Maybe so, but I doubt Triads solve their problems by cracking open a head like a coconut."

"Point well made." Pi-Lao noted, before waving off his friend. "Well, take care, say hi to the talking mushrooms for me."

"WILL DO!" The homeless man said with a happy tone before resuming eating the bread as Pi-Lao went to enter the complex, making sure to get a quick glimpse of the other homeless guy.

He wasn't sure, but for a quick second, Pi-Lao swore he saw that new guy lift his head up slightly with a red flash around where his eyes were, but he shook it off as an ambulance passed by, it's lights also shining red as it whirled on by.

Those lights could be so bright, even from far away.

Walking down the hallway inside towards his apartment door, Pi-Lao once again kept to himself, passing by a mother and child who were leaving the building

Also getting a quick glimpse of the woman from behind as he began to unlock the door, the man had to admit, even after having a kid, she still had a good body.

But as if to take his mind off, the lights in the hallway began to flicker on and off, till the light blub above him shorted out, leaving the spot in front of the door, right where he was standing, without any light, not making Pi-Lao happy.

"Dammnit, stupidass super will hear about this." He muttered to himself before he heard a door close on his left, looking towards it, seeing nothing but the front door of the complex.

But he then remembered that mother and her kid that passed by him and consisted it nothing.

Finally, his door was unlocked and opened it, seeing the inside of his apartment with the lights off.

"Least I got a three day weekend to myself." Pi-Lao said to himself before going into his apartment…

Not noticing the other homeless man he saw come out of the shadows formed from the lack of light in front of his apartment door behind him, his single eye glowing red in anger as he bended and grabbed a shadow tentacle in both hands as he entered the apartment, the door closing behind them as if on it's own…


	3. Chapter Two- Four Corpses, Good News and A Cat Owl

"So," Lin braced herself as Dr Nishi slid the covering off of the first body. "What do you think?"

The doctor, a tall middle aged man with a stern face and thin, square glasses, inspected the corpse closely. He walked around it, eyeing every inch, including the overly bent angle of the neck and the massive head wound before he then got to the front of the neck, where it looked like an animal ripped it apart. When he picked up the scalpel, Lin and Mako held in their gags as Nishi began poking around the wound..

"We..." Lin gulped, trying to ignore the pool of blood forming on the table. "We believe he must have gotten his throat ripped out, distracting him enough to trip and fall over the trash cans, busting his head open on the dumpster and breaking his neck in the process."

Dr Nishi nodded, rummaging through the dead man's neck tissue, seeing the wound was almost enough to make an open hole. "Unlikely," he said finally.

She waited for him to elaborate but he didn't. As he seemed to be moving on to the next corpse they brought him, she had to press for an explanation. "What do you mean unlikely?"

The doctor looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "The way there's three discs from his spine two inches out more than they should be, along with how deep that headwound is."

Nishi pointed upwards, up to the ceiling. "He fell from a good height. A fire escape perhaps."

Mako looked over at Lin but they were both thinking the same thing. There was no fire escape in that alleyway. How on Earth could he have fallen from so high up? Heck, how did the killer even get him that high to begin with?

Nishi uncovered the next body, revealing the bloodied mess of scattered brains that they had gathered in a clear plastic bag. Whatever tissue and bone matter they could salvage from this man's head they tried to keep. It didn't take long for the doctor to understand what went down.

"This skull was crushed. Simple as that."

"Any idea on how?"

He tried to have a look through the pieces of bone, seeing if they fit together at any particular angles. There were some small pieces missing, no doubt flung into some part of the alleyway they hadn't noticed, but for the most part he was able to understand.

"Tore open. From either side."

Mako held his breath.

"Tore open?" Lin asked.

The doctor didn't even look up. "Like a cabbage."

"Is that possible? Can someone even be strong enough?"

"Believe me, in all my years in this profession, I have seen much worse, Chief Beifong." He said before moving on, looking down at the corpse's leg. "Slashed with a blade, no doubt to prevent him from escaping." He studied the length and depth of the cut. "A long blade. Sword perhaps."

"It fits the girl's description," Mako whispered to the Chief.

"Also, judging by the small markings around the neck…" Nishi also made sure to note, pointing at them with a gloved finger. "Looks like the killer quickly held onto him with… some form of cable, again, to prevent escaping."

The next body was quick to inspect. "A stab through the head," the doctor stated plainly. "In through the jaw, out through the top of the head. Not an interesting one." He was almost bored with the way the poor man was killed. Lin had taken notes anyway though.

"BUT…" Lin heard the doctor began as did Mako, watching him look close at the exit wound. "This is interesting, normally when a stabbing of this fashion happens, the bladed end of the sword is pointing forward, the opposite of where the victim is looking."

Nishi then moved around the body and looked right at the other two. "With him, the bladed end was in the same direction the victim was looking.

Just when things looked like one thing, something new would throw that old theory to the side.

The last corpse made Nishi chuckle as he lifted the covering. His out of place laugh sent a chill through Lin's and Mako's spines. This body had been the hardest to transport, so much of it being dismembered and mutilated beyond recognition.

"Now this one is interesting," he said, taking a look at what happened. There was no need for biopsies here - the man's organs were already nearly spilling out onto the table. Just by reaching out, Nishi was able to grab and pull his liver out of his body, holding it with two hands and studying the ripped tissue. "Very interesting indeed." Blood spilled out from the organ over his gloves and sleeves until he put it back down with a thump. "It's like he was torn open not just from the outside, but from the inside as well. Very peculiar."

"Have you seen something like this before too?" Mako asked.

"No." He looked at the lacerated limbs. The tan skin had gone purple and the fingers and toes had started bloating. Decomposition was fast in dirty alleyways. "You have yourself a real treat of a killer. One who doesn't stick to one style."

"I'd say..." Lin wrote down the last things he said on her notepad. "Any ideas what could have done this to the guy?"

The doctor covered the bodies back up ready for storage. Right when he thought the morgue was getting empty, they brought him these four presents. "Not a weapon I know of. Perhaps only..." he trailed off. "Well, it would be a longshot to say so."

"Say what?"

"I am not a bender myself but perhaps there was some at play. I couldn't tell you what kind, least of all not any of the regular four types."

Lin sighed. The girl's account of the man bending shadows was starting to sound more and more promising and she didn't like it. The last thing she needed was a freakish bender.

"Thank you, Doctor," she said, trying hard not to sound defected.

"My pleasure." He started wheeling the bodies one by one into their slots in the morgue.

She turned to Mako and nodded towards the door. They were both delighted to be getting out of there.

"I've known that man for years and i'm still not used to him." Lin noted to her partner as they exited the room and headed towards the exit of the building.

"So... a shadowbender?" Mako said as they stepped outside.

"Don't get your hopes up, kid. We're still at the beginning of things." She really didn't want to believe it. "That's what i needed, my mother is in town for the week and something like this has to happen, go figure."

The firebender let out a long whistle. He wasn't liking the sound of things either. He looked down at his own set of notes. The one thing they were sure of so far was that this was no ordinary man. The strength to tear a man's skull apart, the fancy sword, and finally the talk of shadow bending was enough to think they had somewhat of a crisis at hand, one possibly bigger than they could handle. He didn't want to voice that concern though. The Chief was already well aware of it.

"Let's check in with the other officers," Lin said. "See if they've found any other witnesses yet."

Just as she said that, their police vehicle pulled up outside the morgue for them. The officer at the wheel rolled down the window.

"A message for you two came through at the station while you were gone," she said.

Lin and Mako looked at each other. They hadn't been expecting anything.

"What is it?" the Chief asked.

The officer shrugged. "I don't pry. Sounded like good news though."

They let out a sigh of relief. They were in dire need for good news.

* * *

"Hey, ah, guys, this WolfCat is freaking me out…" Bolin slightly cried out as he was sitting on one of the couches, his attention on the black and brown animal which was staring up at him from the side, still wearing the same expression as it always has. "I seriously don't know if wants attention, is judging me or planning my doom."

"Oh, Bo, don't be so scared!" Opal responded, coming over and picking it up in her arms, petting it's belly, which Fumi looked to enjoy judging by stretching its leg out. "She's a sweetheart, am I right little Fumi?"

The WolfCat giving a small meow made the Airbender laugh as Bolin just looked at with his own deadpan look.

"Yeah, well, Pabu is much cooler, right bud?" Bolin began before noticing the Fire Ferret wasn't around. "Bud?" Then he heard Opal laugh more, turning to see on her shoulder was Pabu, who was giving a curious look at Fumi, lightly pawing at her, which she did the same.

"Thanks Pabu for taking my side." Bolin snarked as Mako, out of his work uniform and in his more regular clothes, patted his shoulder. "Least you're still on my side brother.."

"Always will Bo, always will." The firebender assured his brother.

"Any idea what the happy couple want us here for?" Toph Beifong noted, lying down on another one of the couches, feet out in the air, having been picked up by both Lin and Mako on their way back from the morgue.

"No idea Master Beifong-" Tenzin, himself having been asked to come over too along with Pema, Jinora, Ikki, Meelo and Rohan, answered to the elder Beifong, only for Toph to suddenly rise up in front of him.

"Come on Twinkletoes Number Two, I told you, just call me Toph."

Tenzin heard the laugh from not just his wife, but surprisingly, the smaller one from Lin, feeling embarrassed at this, but regained his composure.

"Sorry, Toph. We got the same message as all of you, assuming we're all here, must be important."

"Oh, think i know why." Meelo said, sipping from a glass of water, but before he could respond, Ikki popped up behind him.

"Does it have anything to do with a Chicken Mouse?"

Meelo looked at her, not wanting to say what his answer was, getting back to his drink. "I refuse to confirm or deny-"

"Yes it did." Toph's voice rang out, making the young Airbender sigh loudly.

"Thank you all for coming." Asami's voice was heard, getting everyone's attention as they turned and saw both her and Korra standing at the doorway into the fancy living room they were in, happy to see them all.

"And an extra thank you to the Chief for actually getting Toph to come along." Korra added in, giving a quick bow of respect to the master Earthbender who gave a quick snort, but also a smile.

"Hey, when she told me where you girls wanted to meet, figured "Hey, free food, I'm in.", take me over there."

"Mother, please!" Lin responded, feeling embarrassed herself as Toph gave a playful smile at her own daughter.

"Oh, you know i'm just playing with them." Toph responded, going up to the Avatar and her, unknown to everyone else, finance. "So, what the big news about lovebirds?"

"Well, since you politely asked…" Korra began as Asami held out her hand for everyone to see.

"... I don't get it, can someone tell me what's going on? Case you forgot" Toph asked, waving her hand in front of her face, obviously unable to see the ring Asami had on, but everyone else noticed it and were surprised at what this meant.

"Oh my, congratulations!" Jinora said, holding Rodan in hand, as she got close to the ring.

"I'm happy for you two!" Mako offered, happy for the two girls who he was in a relationship in the past.

"This was great news!" Pema added in before feeling Toph's hand on her shoulder.

"Again, what's going on? What is everyone gawking about?" The older woman asked, still not knowing what everyone was happy about.

"Oh, right." Bolin said, grabbing Toph's hand to her surprise and placing it on Asami's, letting her feel the ring.

"Okay, so, Asami has on some fancy ring, big…" Toph began before just now realizing. "Oh, OH! Now I feel silly, you're tying the knot! Congrats!" She smiled, giving both Korra and Asami a big hug.

"Korra, Asami, this is indeed a time of celebration. After everything you've endured all these years, you two have earned this. My father and mother would be so happy." Tenzin himself said, patting his former student on the shoulder, who smiled back.

"Thank you Tenzin."

"Really, thank you everyone." Asami said, shaking the airbending master's hand as she looked at everyone.

"So, when's the date?" Lin asked, checking out Asami's ring, getting a look from the two. "Or are you still figuring that one out."

"She just asked me yesterday and I'm still trying to process everything, so give us some time on that." Asami said back, getting a laugh from everyone as she noticed her butler wave at her, phone in hand. "I'm sorry, just two seconds…" She said before walking over to where the phone was.

"What is it? Please don't tell me it's business related."

"Actually Ms.- Sorry, Mrs. Sato." The Butler began, giving a small smile at correcting himself. "But the call isn't for you I'm afraid." He noted to Asami's confusion.

"So, Tenzin, Pema, got any pointers for the happy couple?" Opal asked, giving a jokeful smile as the older couple were slightly caught off guard as everyone laughed.

"Yeah, got any?" Korra asked before noticing Asami come over, but looking at Lin.

"Sorry, but Lin, just got a call asking for you." The heiress asked the Chief, herself curious.

"Really? What is it about? Zhu Li needs to go over some stuff with me?"

"Not quite, but I'd suggest taking the phone and finding out for yourself."

That got Lin's attention as she nodded and got up, taking the phone from the Butler, politely thanking him before checking who was on the other line and listening.

And with each second, the color on her face drained more and more.

"I… I see… alright, I'll swing by, check it out, thanks, bye." The Chief said to the voice on the other line before muttering to herself. "Shit…"

"What's wrong?" Toph's voice rang out behind Lin, slightly spooking her as she turned around, not wanting this happy moment to end like this. "What's wrong kiddo?"

"Okay…" Lin began, whispering to her mother. "You know that set of murders me and Mako were looking into?"

"Yeah, what about 'em?" Toph whispered back.

"Well, that was one of the boys from the station, he says we may have another one, similar M.O."

"Talk about a mood killer." Toph sighed, turning her head at the happy couple and all their friends. "Beginning of a new life, while another has been snuffed out, shame."

"Yeah…" Lin sighed herself, similar to her mother. "Have to leave and check it out, gotta drag Mako away from the fun. Need a ride back to my place, mother?" The Chief asked Toph who shrugged.

"Eh, wouldn't hurt, just gotta give my goodbyes to the lovebirds before we do."

* * *

"I remember when Twinkletoes and Katara got married," Toph said from the back of the car. "The food was amazing." She chuckled to herself. "Twinkletoes was a goof right to the very end, huh?" Moments like this made her emotions surface but she did a brilliant job of hiding them. She missed her old friend, but she was happy for Korra and Asami. A somewhat melancholic reminder that after every death, life still moves on.

"I'm sure he was, mother," Lin replied. She was only half listening to Toph, more preoccupied on the new murder. If it was anything like the last ones, she dreaded to think what they would find.

They pulled up outside Lin's place. "Here we are, mother. I'll be back later, don't do anything crazy."

Toph waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah yeah. Take care out there. Just don't drive the hothead crazy." She stepped out, closing the door behind her. She sensed her surroundings, getting a feel of where she was and started walking to the door as Lin and Mako drove away.

In her tiredness, she noticed someone approaching her a little too late, and they bumped into each other.

"Oof. Look where you're going," Toph said, now finally sensing the stranger.

The homeless man hadn't seen the woman walking, having been staring at the ground deep in thought. Now that he looked up, he recognized her immediately as his single gold eye widened. Knowing full well the extent of her bending abilities, he took a deep breath to calm himself down so she couldn't feel his heightened heartbeat.

"Sorry," he said. As she went to walk away, he quickly added, "It's an honor to meet you, Toph Beifong."

"Yeah yeah, you too random stranger," she mumbled as she headed into the building.

The man stood for a while longer, staring as the woman disappeared, before regaining himself and carrying on down the road.

That really was Toph Beifong. He couldn't believe it. She really was in town after all.

As for Toph, she herself stopped in front of the steps, just now realizing how quickly the man referred to her by name.

Sure, everyone knew of her, but something about the man just didn't sit right with her, but she sensed he was already too far gone, so she let it side.

He walked a while longer, coming up to an old apartment complex. He buzzed himself through the entrance and headed up the stairs, his old hips groaning with each step. He reached his door, its red paint peeling off, and stepped into his apartment, sighing and throwing his dirty shoes to the side along with the now dirty bandages around the side of his head that was covering where his left eye and ear was.

The day's events took a toll on him and he slumped on the couch, letting his joints rest as while he had his special form of bending, he was still human. He was greeted by a little meow and he looked down at his feet to find his brown and white Cat Owl asking for attention.

"Come here, ya' little bastard." he reached down and picked him up, letting him sit on his lap. The Cat Owl nuzzled against him as he pet the soft feathers on his head. "You're a good boy, Toshi." Out of every creature in this city since he came back, Toshi was the only one that never flinched at the sight of him.

The fact that the man looked like someone blew apart the part of his head where his left eye and ear were meant nothing to the loving animal, who purred in his arms.

"Can't believe after five years, you're still around and remember 'ol Hattori." The Homeless Man said in a positive tone…


	4. Chapter Three- He Never Forgot and Has A Type

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a bit of a Trigger warning due to the description of the aftermath of a murder and a scene of torture. So just a heads up.

"I want to say I'm surprised…" Lin began, looking through the door frame at the crime scene inside the apartment, shaking her head, eyes focused, but deep inside, she was unnerved. "But then I'd be lying to myself."

Both her and Mako made their way in, looking around at what sort of mess the apartment was, a wooden table broken in two, a shelf or two smashed into, like someone was thrown against them, even part of the ceiling was smashed into.

"Ah, Chief Beifong, Detective Mako, pleasant to see you two again so soon."

Both Lin and Lin turned towards the kitchen where they saw Dr. Nishi looking over the body, not breaking eye contact at what it endured.

"What drove you out of the morgue?" Mako asked as both him and Lin got a look at the body, and immediately wished they hadn't.

There laid on the ground the apartment's owner, Pi-Lao, or what just resembled him due to the amount of damage to his face..

"What usually keeps me in the morgue, death." The odd doctor said simply, looking at the state of the body. "Can already tell you two that it's the work of our buddy from the alleyway."

"No kidding…" Lin grimaced, seeing that Pi-Lao's right arm was ripped straight out of the socket, which would explain the bloodstains all over the walls and floor.

But what got her was the fact that the lower half of the man's face was smashed in, the jaw and tongue rendered into a sick mixture of bone, teeth, gore and blood.

"Yes, quite a show he's provided us Chief." Nishi noted, knowing fully well what she was thinking as he moved the head around with a gloved hand, noticing the familiar marks around the neck. "Lacerations around the neck, seems our friend is a fan of wrapping cables around his victim's neck…"

Then for the first time since they arrived, the doctor looked up at the two, giving that weird smile of his.

"Or perhaps wrapped shadows around their necks?"

Lin and Mako were slightly caught off guard at how he knew that detail as the idea of the killer bending shadows wasn't widely known.

"What makes you say that?" Lin asked, to which the doctor merely shrugged.

"Turns out our witness to the last batch of murders is a neighbor of mine, sometimes pet-sits my iguana snake if I have to work long hours. Heard her mention it." Nishi noted as he got back to the body.

"If I had to guess, our friend ambushed the victim, tried choking him out, causing a scuffle resulting in the cabinets being smashed…"

Then Nishi pointed at the table and roof, while looking at the exposed tendons and bone where the arm was. "Our victim got the killer off, but got thrown upwards into the ceiling, possibly by his special form of bending before falling onto the table."

"And then the killer went and tore the guy's arm off without any issue." Mako noted, noticing the severed arm which was being looked at before being ready to be bagged.

"Good eye Detective, whether he used shadowbending or his bare hands is up to debate." Nishi pointed out before reaching at something near him. "Finally, after the victim crawled here, our friend used this…" he began, showing a bloody metal meat tenderizer to the two. "To turn the lower half of his face into strawberry jelly."

"Something which doesn't add up." Lin noted, looking at the improvised weapon after putting on her own rubber gloves as Nishi watched. "With the past four, our guy made each of his kills quick, maybe extended them if needed…"

Then she looked at the body and the severed arm. "But this one is different."

Mako knew where the Chief was going, taking the bagged severed arm in hand, looking at it. "The killer took his time, he wanted our victim to suffer."

"Was just thinking the same thing and I think we have a clue." The glasses wearing doctor interjected, pointing at something that was on the arm, which Lin and Mako noted.

It was a tattoo, a black inked one of an odd symbol, one that was very familiar to both benders, who looked at each other as they processed this fact.

"This guy was an Equalist." Lin said, letting the words come out, having an idea where this was going.

"And going by what Miss Ming-Na said about the men who assaulted her and killed that man, if I could make a hypothesis…" Nishi said, adjusting his glasses and giving that uncanny chuckle. "I think our friend has a type and is far from done with these killings."

This new fact unnerved Lin and Mako. That's just what they needed, not just a serial killer who may be a shadowbender, but one targeting Equalists.

* * *

Korra always felt nervous walking into the Future Industries offices. The building always seemed too big and intimidating, despite having been here so many times before. It didn't help that she didn't blend in with the influx of business suits and briefcases.

She came up to the receptionist, who luckily recognized her with a smile.

"Go on up, love," she said, not needing an explanation as to why the Avatar was there anymore. She buzzed her in, letting her through to the elevator.

"Thanks Meng." she said, stepping through the metal doors and tapping on the floor number. Asami should be expecting her already, but she could have gotten caught up with work and lost track of time.

As the elevator dinged and the doors opened, she stepped out into the corridor, walking along the office doors to the last one - solid, dark mahogany with a golden plaque reading "A. Sato". She knocked a couple of times and waited. Sometimes Asami had business clients in and she didn't want to interrupt.

"Come in," she heard her call out and she opened the door to reveal the CEO behind her desk. She had just hung up on a sly businessman trying to cheat her into an unfavorable deal and she was still mad about him trying.

"Hey," Korra said. "Is this a good time?"

Seeing her fiance brought her nerves down and she let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah. Crazy day."

"I bet." She walked forward, eyeing the blueprints scattered across her desk. "Something new?"

"We're trying to improve this new product, but they're trying to get me to compromise on quality for money. No way." She tidied the papers into a neat pile. "I won't be caught dead making bad vehicles."

Korra nodded, looking out the window. The sky had cleared and it was sunny. She could even see the park from here. "Were you taking a lunch break around now?" she asked.

Asami looked at the time. "I didn't realize it was lunch already." Her business partners could wait. "Sure. Did you have something in mind?"

The Avatar gestured towards her backpack. "I brought some things with me if you want to go to the park for a little bit. Like... a quick impromptu picnic." She gave her a goofy smile.

The engineer couldn't help smiling back. Of course Korra would have this idea. "Let's do it."

They headed down and decided to walk to the park. The day was only getting nicer, and it seemed to be warming up too. The park was a good ten minute walk, but Asami didn't seem to be in a hurry to get back to pretentious car buyers.

They found a nice spot in the shade of an oak on the grass, and Korra laid out the blanket she brought with her in her backpack. They sat down as she took out the sandwiches she made.

"Behold," she said, handing Asami her sandwich, "the full extent of my cooking abilities!"

She laughed and took a bite. It wasn't half bad.

"So, how's being the Avatar going?" she asked.

Korra huffed. "It's... going. Someone mentioned how I should give a speech to reassure people. You know, because word of the murders is getting out, but... I don't think anything I say could reassure anyone." She chuckled. "Last time I tried I probably made it worse."

Asami remembered and she was right. She did make it worse, but she wasn't going to tell her that. "I'm sure you'll do fine." She wasn't very convincing though and the Avatar rolled her eyes.

"But if I think about it," she gulped down another bite of her own sandwich. "I'm not too at ease about the murders either."

"They were very... odd." Asami tried to not think of what they saw while they were eating.

"Yeah, but you know all that talk about shadowbending. It just doesn't sit well with me."

"That might not be it. We don't know for sure."

"Well, that said, I may or may not have tried to find some more out about shadowbending."

The engineer sighed. "Did you spook yourself out?"

"A little."

Asami chuckled.

"Hey, it's not funny!" She tried to take herself seriously but even she was feeling a little amused now that she was saying it out loud. Shadowbending did sound unlikely, and maybe what she heard were just stories to keep kids from being naughty. "But I did hear something interesting."

"Go on then." Maybe it was worth listening to.

The Avatar finished the last bit of her sandwich before starting. "I didn't want to ask Tenzin about it in case he started worrying that I'd get involved and mess things up, so I went to the library and-"

"You? In the library? You're making it up."

"Shh. Yes I went to the library. Anyway, I couldn't find anything on it so I asked one of the librarians, this old guy, white beard and everything, and he said they used to have something a while back but the book was too old and they ended up getting rid of it. Something about it starting to fall apart."

Asami finished her own sandwich by now. Korra was taking a long time to get to the point.

"So, turns out he read it when he was young, it was all the rage in his group of friends cause they would pretend to bend shadows or whatever -"

"Korra."

"Yeah yeah, I'm getting there. The book said something about shadowbending being unnatural, not something people could be born with. So him and his friends would pretend to go looking for spirits to give them that power."

Asami furrowed her brows. "So, to reiterate, you spooked yourself out with what an old man used to play with as a child?"

The Avatar huffed. "When you put it like that, it sounds stupid."

"No, no," the engineer smiled. "I'm still proud of you and for going to the library."

"Yeah, never again. All they had were books."

Asami laughed before checking the time. She didn't want to, but she should be going back.

"I'd love to stay, but-"

"Yeah, I know." Korra said, standing and packing the plastic plates away. "I hope the idiot businessmen leaves you alone."

"If only." Asami sighed before getting an idea. "But just in case, I can always tell him that it's not wise to mess with the Avatar's soon to be wife."

"Oh, using me to threaten some dumb Zebra Donkey into leaving you be?" Korra asked, a sly smirk on her face before giving a quick kiss to her fiance, who smirked back. "Clever girl."

"One of the many reasons you love me."

* * *

Raiko's fishmonger's had just closed up for the day. It was only a bit past noon, but all the fresh fish had already sold out. The business owner and only vendor that day smiled to himself, stuffing the money away into the till. He was a tall, lanky man with a thick mustache and a receding hairline. On the wall he had framed his awards for the fishing competitions he won, along with photos of his greatest catches. The customers should know they're only buying from the best.

He was so used to the stink of fish that he didn't notice it anymore. Cleaning the used ice trays was no longer a chore because of it, and he placed them on the side to dry. He saved a couple fish for himself to take home, and he placed them in a bag to carry them out.

As he was about to leave, he saw a figure coming through the door.

"Sorry, we're closed early today." he said, but the man ignored him and kept walking closer. Raiko tried to get a good look at him. Even from a distance he could tell something was off, but wasn't scared. "Hey, buddy, I said we're closed!"

The odd man, who only had one eye, the other covered in bandages, got more into the light, making sure Raiko got a good look at him.

"OH, I heard you the first time Raiko, I just don't care."

It was then after seeing and hearing the voice the owner of the fish market was frozen in fear, looking at the odd man.

"H-H-Ha-Hattori?" He stuttered, watching the one-eyed man looking at some metal hooks hanging on ropes nearby, where the fish are hung from and gutted. "But, you're a zom-"

"What, you really gonna say i'm a zombie? Sorry, if I'm correct, that's what happens when you brainwash someone against their own will and use them for your bidding." Hattori noted, feeling the sharp point of the hook, slightly pricking himself, but not bothered in the slightest as a small bit of blood formed as Raiko kept his eyes on him, still stuck in place due to his surprise.

"You know, kind of like what the Dai Li used to do during the one hundred year war."

"An.. And what the Earth Em… empire attempted to do m-m-months ago." Raiko stuttered out, getting Hattori's attention, a look of pure confusion on his face.

"Wait, the who? Shit, the things I've missed out on these past FIVE years."

Before Raiko could even do anything else, he froze seeing the rope and metal hook being taken in Hattori's hand. "Woah, there mate. W-what are you thinking doing with that?"

Hattori didn't even turn to look at him to see what the fisherman was realizing, raising his free hand up.

"Oh, isn't it obvious?"

Just as Hattori then clenched his hand into itself, something grabbed Raiko by the mouth, forcing him to be silent. He tried to look, but all he could see was darkness covering his face, muffling his screams.

"Will say, it's a nice place you've got," Hattori noted, with Raiko watching as he looked at his photos. In every one, he was holding up the fish he caught by the hook of his fishing rod.

Raiko didn't wait for what he had to say next and tried to jerk out of the grip of the shadow. He writhed against, nearly breaking free, before another grabbed his arms, holding them down next to his body.

"Don't even bother trying to escape." Hattori said in an almost annoyed tone of voice as he approached the man he knew.

In desperation, Raiko flung a kick towards him, only for Hattori to grab his ankle, letting the fisherman slam on his back against the floor tiles.

"Seriously, what did I just tell you?"

From the ground, Raiko watched in horror as Hattori's eye turned red and with one swift jerking movement,he felt his knee bend backwards. Raiko screamed against the shadow tentacle, hearing the loud crack of his broken joint. His leg was burning with the pain, but the one-eyed man was not done.

He climbed up onto the counter as Raiko lied on his back, held down by the shadows. He watched as he tied the rope around the light, tugging on it to make sure it was secure. The metal hook dangled off of it.

Hattori looked down at Raiko and chuckled. "Catch of the day," he said, coming down from the counter, before clamping a hand around the fisherman's throat and raising him up, watching him he writhed uselessly against his grip.

"No... NO… Please, I-I'm a changed man..." he choked out with Hattori's hand still around it as Hattori looked into his frightened eyes.

"Do you think that changes anything, that i'd just up and forget what happened because you had a change of heart!?" The Shadowbender snarled before he rose Raiko up into the air before bringing him down towards the hook.

"AArhg!" was heard ringing out loudly.

Mainly due to the sharp hook having went through the bottom of the jaw of Raiko's, but unlike that one wannabe Equalist idiot from a couple nights ago, the hooked end came out of Raiko's mouth before Hattori let go, leaving the fishmonger to hang freely in the air. He was free to scream all he wanted now, but the blood flowing from his mouth quickly started to choke him.

"Oh no, I never forgot, I never had the chance to forget…" Hattori growled out as all Raiko could do was gargle as his eyes stared desperately at the ceiling, wide and bloodshot. He coughed, spluttering blood all over himself and the counter below him. The more he jerked with every cough, the more the hook moved around his mouth.

"Oh yeah. A nice catch indeed." Hattori said, appreciating the sight as something in his mind called his attention to the filleting knife on the counter, taking it in hand, knowing what to do with it..

"But it won't sell like this." He dug the knife deeply under his sternum, eliciting another scream in between coughs. Cleanly, and almost delicately, he ran the knife downwards, cutting his abdomen open until he reached his pelvis. Blood poured out onto the white tiles.

"Now, I've never got to go fishing with my old man, let alone gutted a fish before. So excuse me if I don't do this right." Hattori said in a mocking manner before he reached through his cut and pulled on the first thing he grabbed, yanking organ after organ out of Raiko's rapidly twitching body. The man's skin was going pale quickly, and his struggles against the hook were growing weaker and weaker. His organs lay scattered on the floor, and his intestines spilled out of him.

Finally, the man stopped choking, and he fell silent. And with a rip of the his sleeve, showing the same tattoo that Pi-Lao had inked on his arm, Hattori was done.

Once he walked over to the sink and washed the blood off of himself, before leaving the fishmonger's, his eye returning to its golden color.

"Oh, SPIRITS…" he whispered to himself, thinking about what he just did. That kill was more than a murder. He had made a show out of the fishmonger, and the sight of his death would be a horrific shock to whoever finds it. But he reassured himself it was the right thing to do, and so did _it._

Raiko had it coming, so did Pi-Lao, they all have it coming.

He walked past a corner store. The newspapers on display outside caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Curious, he picked one up and read the headline.

"Mindless killer loose on Republic City streets".

"Mindless?" He repeated the word with disgust. They knew nothing about it.

Anger overcame him and he tore the newspaper in two, throwing it across the road before walking away. The shopkeeper had run out, yelling after him that he needed to pay for it, but he ignored him and carried on.

Mindless. He couldn't be further from it, not one fucking bit.

Just then, Hattori heard a scream ring out loud from where the fish market was, turning to see a bunch of people, including that shopkeeper, rush to it, as some horrified younger man continued screaming as he ran out, saying someone murdered his father and left him to hang like a dead fish.

At that, Hattori couldn't help as he raised his hood up, but give a wicked smile, as he whispered something to himself.

"Well, you called it…"

And with that, the one-eyed man resumed walking the opposite direction, no one seeming to be any the wiser.


	5. Chapter Four- Innocent Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a bit of a Trigger warning due to the amount of violence in this chapter. Heads up.

"At least our guy decided to go for some form of irony…" Mako said in a distressed voice as his eyes checked out what he was writing in his notepad, having just looked over the third scene of a murder in just a few days. "Still doesn't make it any more pleasant to look at."

"At this point, this sicko may as well just start selling tickets to whatever disgusting display he sets up." Lin herself sighed, too having just got out of the scene, noticing the ever growing crowd still wanting a peek at what happened as various cops, attendants and others did their jobs to keep them at bay.

While she's had a long time experience seeing various sights of murders, that's what they were, just murders. But this, the victim being hooked and gutted like the fish he sold, this was just pure sadism.

Then there was that damn tattoo on the victim's upper arm, just like the last guy. While Lin herself may still harbour various feelings about the Equalists, especially after that encounter with Amon all those years ago, she'd rather lock them away in a hole instead of killing them if she could.

And if she did have to kill an Equalist in the line of duty, at least she'd make it quick and painless, not… make a show out of it.

"Chief Beifong!"

Oh no, no no no…

"Ms. Beifong, a word about this recent murder?" Lin dreaded this, but turned and saw a balding reporter around her age with a pencil thin mustache, holding a notepad and pencil in hand, seeking to get some nugget of info. Hopefully this was an honest reporter and not one of those scum suckers from the tabloid rags. "This is the third murder to happen in the past couple days, and word is going around all the victims have some form of connection to the Equalist Terrorist Group, you have any word? What does the Avatar think about this?"

Something was telling Lin this guy was from the tabloids, so she decided not to play his game.

"Even if i wanted to give you something, you'd go and blow it out of portion in those sensational rags you churn out!"

"That sells a lot of money, so do you have anything to comment on?" The reporter asked, not seeming to care about the story, just what he could get out of it.

This guy just asking her was making Lin's already large headache even more painful, so Lin just turned around, but not without giving some form of answer.

"Two words; No comment."

With that and ignoring the complaints of the reporter, she began making her way to Mako, who had gone over to the man around his age who had found the corpse of his father, trying to get some information out of him.

"Look, I know what that tattoo is suggesting, but…" The man looked like a younger version of Raiko, but had a more full head of brown hair and lack of facial hair.

"But what?" Lin asked, getting in on it, as Mako and the son looked at her, before the latter resumed his story.

"My father, you have to understand, he only joined up with those crazy Equalist bastards six years ago after a young group of benders caused an accident that took my mother's life. He just got so angry, and while that gang WAS responsible, he just started blaming any and all benders for everything wrong in the world, the drinking didn't help either…"

Both Lin and Mako listened to the story, curious as the son looked at them, tears slowly forming.

"But after the truth came out about their leader, it caused him to question everything, so he tried to become a better person. In fact, he just began a relationship with an Airbender lady from the local islands a year ago, I'm telling you, he was a changed man."

"And that tattoo on his arm?" Mako asked, feeling bad for this guy, as was Lin, who turned to see the body being led out under some sheets by Nishi as the crowd tried to get a look.

"He only kept it to remind himself of his past mistakes, that if he can change, so could anyone else." The son answered, wanting to not focus on his father's corpse being led out.

"Do you… know who could have done this? Did he have any enemies from his past, like a bender or Equalist?" Lin decided to ask, see if they could get any clue, but the son shook his head.

"N-No, not that i know of." The Son said, trying to think of something, but couldn't. "Even then, my father kept most of that past life to himself, as to not to worry me nor the grandkids." Just then, the three of them noticed an older brown haired woman, in Air Monk regalia coming onto the scene, wanting to know what happened. "Oh shit, that's her."

The son then turned to the Chief and Detective, shaking their hands. "Thank you, but I have to go comfort Zi-La, please find my father's killer."

And with that, the young man rushed over to the Airbender, who just now realized what happened and began screaming as the son began to comfort her.

"I keep forgetting that even Equalists have loved ones too." Mako noted, looking at the Chief, who closed her eyes, turning away from the scene. "You know, like Hiroshi with Asami."

"Right." Lin noted, remembering that Hiroshi Sato was like the newest victim, turned to hate after his own wife was murdered by the Agni-Kai Triads, only to reform himself in the eyes of his daughter years later at the cost of his own life

"Hey, officers! Officers!"

That got Lin to break out of her mood as she and the younger cop looked around to see a shopkeeper from the nearby corner store stroll up to them, an older, short portly man.

"What's wrong, sir?" Lin asked as the shopkeeper looked at the scene.

"Yeah, think I may have something that could help you guys a bit, involving that crime scene."

Hearing that perked both Lin and Mako's ears, both looking at each other, then back at the shopkeeper.

"Show us."

The two were led by the shopkeeper to his shop, where behind the counter was another one, though skinner and bald, with huge glasses over his eyes.

"Alright Dai, got the cops, tell 'em."

The other shopkeeper nodded and looked at Lin and Mako..

"Right, so I was working behind the counter while my cousin went to pick up lunch an hour ago. Just before that scream was heard, I noticed some random freaky looking homeless guy pick up this…" He explained before taking out a newspaper that had been ripped in two.

"I didn't get a great look at his face, part of it was bandaged up, but I heard him get angry and say 'Mindless' before ripping this and throwing the pieces to the ground. I got out and yelled at him to pay, but he kept walking. Then I heard Raiko's kid scream and my attention turned to that."

"So you think that-" Mako began to ask before Dai nodded, interrupting him.

"Think? Heck, I'm pretty damn skippy that's the guy who's been ripping and tearing those Equalists apart!"

"Ooh, Equalist Ripper huh?"

Lin knew that voice as the four turned to see that reporter back from the scene writing on his notepad, idea forming. "I like the name!"

"WOULD YOU GET OUT OF HERE!" Lin yelled out, beginning to bend up a metal whip that she launched at the notepad, but the reporter pulled it out of the way in time before rushing off madly.

"CAN'T STOP THE PRESS CHIEF!" He yelled loudly as he was too far gone, Lin cursing to herself for letting him get away. Oh, this is just gonna make things harder for everyone, especially her and Mako.

* * *

Korra watched Zhu-Li up on the podium. She talked to the crowd so effortlessly, like she always knew what to say, and the people loved it too. They trusted her to be honest, and that she was. She knew just how to be open with the public, while at the same time not panicking them with too much information.

The Avatar looked down at her hands. She held a couple of flashcards on which she noted the things Zhu-Li told her to talk about. She had been in a hurry, and didn't elaborate though. She had a few bullet points down, but not much else. Her palms were sweating.

She nearly jumped as Varrick said something in her ear. "Don't stress, girl. No one could have a speech as great as Zhu-Li's."

He might have thought he was helping, but he wasn't.

"Now I will hand you over to our Avatar. Avatar Korra." She bowed her head before walking off the podium, gesturing at Korra to walk up.

She gulped. Varrick gave her a pat on the back. "Get out there girl and do the thing!"

She tried to smile at him before walking up.

The crowd was massive. People were concerned about the murders, and the media hadn't been helping, especially with the news that all the victims were Equalists. Some had family who were former members, some themselves used to be part of their ranks, and some still believed in Amon's false words and just wanted protection. They gathered to be comforted, but all Korra could see was a mob ready to turn angry at her. Her eyes scanned the ranks, and suddenly she spotted her fiance smiling in the crowd. Their eyes met and Asami gave her a faint nod. Next to her was Kya. She was in town at the worst moment, but she also looked at Korra supportingly.

The Avatar cleared her throat. "You are no doubt worried about what's been happening, but I'm here to assure you we will continue to do our best to keep our streets safe for all of you, and there is nothing you should fear." She stole a glance down at her flashcards. The bullet points were so vague and she felt like they were almost forced out of her. "There is no killer in the world capable of taking on our city's dedicated forces, and I, your Avatar will look after you-" She looked out across the crowd. No one was booing, but no one was impressed. She wasn't surprised, she really did sound like she was reading a script. In a split second decision, she stuffed the cards back in her pocket.

"Oh no," Asami whispered to Kya. "What is she doing?"

Kya squinted to try and see better. Her eyesight wasn't as good anymore, but she just about made out what Asami was referring to, but had a certain feeling. "This should be good," she said.

"Listen," Korra began, "I've seen the murders myself. Up close. They're ugly." There was a murmur among the crowd. Zhu-Li was looking at the Avatar wide-eyed. This was not what they discussed. "And that made me angry. Angry that there could be someone out there looking to disturb the peace we worked so hard for." She was spewing as much feeling into her words as she had, and it wasn't hard. Everything she was saying was true.

"Most of all, I was angry that there was someone stupid enough to think they wouldn't pay dearly for what they've done. That they wouldn't be caught and live to regret it for the whole of their life, and all of eternity after that. And they will live to regret it. Regardless of the rumors you've been hearing about what sort of bender this killer is, we will catch them, and we will make sure justice will be served, not just for the lives they took, but for the fear they caused. You have my word that people like them won't walk free." She took a deep breath. She started to regret getting rid of the cards and watched the crowd, expecting the worse. Deep silence fell over them and she wasn't sure if it was a good thing. She caught sight of Asami again. Her wife-to-be was smiling and before she could relax, the crowd erupted in a round of applause.

Perhaps channeling her anger into her speech had been the right way to go after all. She looked across at Zhu-Li. The president was relieved it didn't go as bad as she expected.

She let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't messed it up after all. As the applause died down, she said one last thing.

"Thank you for having me, and thank you for trusting me." She bowed her head and walked off, hands shaking slightly with unspent nerves.

"You did it!" Varrick congratulated her with another pat on the back. "It wasn't as good as my wife's, but it was a good attempt."

Korra chuckled. "Thanks."

"You did scare me for a moment, Avatar Korra," Zhu-Li said, "but it worked out in the end. It's a good thing you told the people what you felt."

"Yeah. I suppose so."

The crowd had started to disperse and she spotted Asami and Kya making their way towards them as Zhu-Li and Varrick were packing up.

"I told you you'd do fine," Asami said.

Korra rolled her eyes. "No, you said it sarcastically. It doesn't count."

The engineer shrugged and kissed her cheek. "You can't prove that."

Kya couldn't help smiling at the sight of the two. "Me and my mother heard the good news," she said. "Sorry I couldn't arrive in time, the train was delayed and I got into town too late."

"Don't worry about it." Korra said.

"Well you know I'll always wish you two only the best." She took Asami's hand and looked at the ring. It glistened in the sun. "You're two very lucky ladies. The sort that could take on the world and still have room for desert." She chuckled.

"Thank you," Asami said. "We could have you around for dinner tonight, if you're free?"

Kya smiled. "Oh, thank you, but I've promised Lin and Toph I'll join them for a few drinks."

"No problem. Another time then."

"That would be lovely, I'm here for a couple days." She checked the time. "I better get going if I don't want to be late, know how cranky those Beifong women get."

They said their goodbyes as she went on her way. Korra and Asami were also about to leave, but lingered just enough to see Varrick trip over his own shoelaces and drop the box of cables and microphones.

"Zhu-Li!" He cried out.

The two of them chuckled at the sight. Perhaps it would have been easier if he stopped trying to help.

* * *

Just at the same time the speech was over with as it was heard on the radio inside of an apartment, a shape was flung into it, breaking the piece of machinery into pieces as a groan was heard.

"AHH…"

"DAMNIT HATTORI, just don't know when to stay down!" A loud voice rang out as the shape, rolling over to look at the source with his one eye, groaned in pain.

The other man in the apartment stomped over to him, his body quite large when it came to fat and muscle, looked at the sharp kitchen knife currently protruding out his shoulder, right near where his own Equalist tattoo was, and ripped it out, grunting a bit, but otherwise was not bothered.

"Oh, and here I thought that was a positive trait of mine…" Hattori said, giving a bloody smirk due to biting down onto his tongue by mistake when he hit the radio, and tried to take out his katana, only to notice it fell near the front door when he was thrown, which he was not near.

Even worse was the snide remark of his only resulted in the large heavy set man to come at him in a shockingly fast rate for his size, slashing the knife at Hattori who dodged the various attempts in a unnaturally fast speed, before rolling near a lamp that was currently on and threw it at the large man, who just stood there, unfazed.

"Well, guess it's my turn then..." The large man roared, flipping the knife in hand and threw it by the tip of it towards the Shadowbender, who dodged it, seeing the knife fly into the shadow, smirking evilly at his target's confusion, which was then broken up when the knife flew out of another shadow, just grazing his cheek as it flew into another shadow.

"Wha' the?…" The large man grimaced, touching the wound, seeing his blood, then back at Hattori who just stood there, hands to his side in an angle.

"So, you're the shadowbender people have been talking about. Go figure it had to be you."

This just earned him a look of contempt from the one-eyed man whose golden eye turned red again.

"Karma…" Was all Hattori said until the knife felt out again, this time slashing the man's wrist, making him grasp it in pain, seeing while it wasn't a deep enough cut for any real trouble, it still stung, as did the next slash as the knife shot up from below, slashing the large man's chest. "It can be a REAL bitch, right Jai-Khu?"

The process resumed, the large man having the blade slicing up various spots on his body, not helping was that he was just exiting the bathroom in just his trousers after taking a shower when Hattori made his way in and both began their fight.

But after taking twenty slashes, a bloody Jai-Khu got the pattern down and stuck out his hand in a angle at the right time, catching the handle of the knife by hand, while also catching Hattori off-guard and rolled towards him, aiming the knife right for the one-eyed man's chest…

Only to strike against the shadow that Hattori had jumped backwards into, confusing the large former Equalist until he saw and felt his armed hand get dragged into the shadow.

"What the… what is this?" Jai-Khu muttered to himself as inside it felt… wrong, like something was alive, until the feeling on his hand began to go away and be replaced by unearthly pain as he screamed.

"AHH! AAHHH!" The large man screamed, trying to pull his hand away for a second or two until he was able to… only to see all that was left of his hand was the bones making it up and strips of skin and flesh, now feeling as helpless as those from his past. "My… my… MY HAND!"

But before he could scream more, he felt his head be pulled back by his ponytail, forced to look up at the ceiling as he saw Hattori's face, pure rage in his single red eye, holding the knife up, ready to strike down.

"Hattori… please… spare me… i'm…"

"Shush…"

Jai-Khu watched in silence like Hattori asked, seeing that he was closing his eye, seeming to remember something in his head, thinking it over for a few seconds.

The large man, curious, but frightened, shook his head. "I know where the others are… well, not exactly, but Asuki and Vullok, they know."

This got Hattori's attention as he opened his eye, looking down to show it was back to it's natural gold.

"Location, street name, what the building looks like, NOW!"

Realizing this may make Hattori spare him, Jai-Khu nodded and began just letting everything he knew out. "Over near Kyoshi Bridge, near the statue of Avatar Aang, there's a hidden brothel near it, the place looks an abandoned building…" Noticing that Hattori was letting go of the back of his head, kneeling down, thinking to himself, the large man watched, kneeling down in front of him, though that was only cause of the amount of pain he was in, especially with his hand as he wrapped it up in a towel.

"The guard at the door will ask for a password, it's 'Fire Blossom", it's also pricey, so you're gonna need some serious Yuan, that's all i know, honestly!."

"Yuan is no problem." Hattori responded with, eye still closed as the knife lowered.

At this sight, Jai-Khu, knowing why Hattori was doing all of this in the first place, groaned in pain, shaking his head.. "Look, you're pissed, I get that, especially after what we all did to you. Now, I don't know what you did to come back…" His voice began to ring of sympathetic regret for the man he knew in the past, even after all he did. "But killing me and the others won't bring- ACKH!"

But Jai-Khu never finished his sentence properly when Hattori suddenly drove the knife into the side of his neck, reopening his eye to show the red of it glowing brighter, not wanting to hear what else his target was saying.

Watching the life finally drain out of his target, Hattori closed his eye and opened it back up, showing the gold once more as he ripped the knife out of the wound as the large body dropped to the floor.

"AAHHH! JAI-KHU!" a voice rang out right behind the killer, making him suddenly swing the weapon sideways in his kneeled position behind him, the knife connecting with something.

But just then, Hattori realized whoever he stabbed into was wearing a pretty dress… then it dawned on him as he looked up, seeing the frightened and wide-eyed face of a dark skinned woman Jai-Khu's age, quickly taking the blade out before watching the woman stumble backwards onto the couch, holding her wound, near her on a side table was a framed photo of her with Jai-Khu.

_This woman was Jai-Khu's wife._

"Oh no, no no no…" Hattori began to say quickly, getting up, rushing over with the bloody rag Jai-Khu was using and tried covering it the wound up, but realized that would make things worse for the woman, who was bleeding out on the cushions. "NONONONO! Stay with me dammit, STAY WITH ME!"

As Hattori realized the rag wouldn't do, he quickly went over to the kitchen to find any more or something bigger, but something in his head was telling him to leave… and he wasn't liking it one bit.

Something which got the slowly fading attention of Jai-Khu's wife as she turned her brown eyes towards her accidental attacker, looking for those rags, but… seemingly whispering something to himself at the same time.

"She wasn't a target… Yes, I know who she was married to… but she's innocent, she had… no, fuck you, i'm gonna try to save…"

Suddenly another noise was heard, the door creaking open, getting her attention as Hattori shut up, seeing an older neighbor enter the apartment, his old eyes clearly seeing the mess made.

"Oh my, oh… Hana!" The old man cried out, seeing the blood stained woman reach out towards him, or what was rather being him, saying in a whispered tone

"L… look out…"

But then a familiar black tentacle formed around the older man's neck, but not as tightly as before, hearing a voice he was not familiar with behind him.

"The guy is dead, but she's bleeding out and needs medical attention. Call the hospital and get her some help, stay with her until medics arrive. Let her die, and so help me, I will hunt you down and rip you a-fuckin'-part, YOU GOT THAT?!"

The old man nodded feverlishy, looking at the still alive woman. "Y-Y-Yes… what are-"

"Thank you."

And then, as if suddenly, the tentacle was gone, leaving the old man breathless, until he rushed over to the phone and called the hospital and police, calling for help, indeed staying with the innocent woman until the medics arrived on the scene, able to patch her wound, while far too late to save her husband with the Equalist tattoo.

* * *

The bar filled with chatter. Evenings boomed with business in the inner city, even with the news of the Equalist Ripper prowling the streets.

Kya was listening to Lin telling her about what she's been up to at the police station. She swirled the straw around her drink, the ice cubes clinking with the glass as she did so.

Toph gnawed on a packet of dried seaweed chips, listening to her daughter too. "Police have gone soft since I left," she said as Lin paused to take a sip of her drink.

The Chief rolled her eyes. "You said they were soft when you were in it too, mother."

"Goes to show how much softer they've become." She smirked.

"Whatever you say, mother."

Toph chuckled, having gotten a rise out of Lin.

"I think you're doing a good job," Kya said to the Chief. "How about this shadowbender on the loose though?"

Lin sighed. "That's a tough one. Mako and I are handling it mainly, but it's terrible how fast he's milling through the poor sods."

Toph scoffed. "Poor sods? Weren't they Equalists?"

"Yes, hence that damn nickname, but a murder is still a murder, regardless of who does it to who." Her attention was suddenly drawn to the glass Toph had just drunk out of. "Have you been drinking from my glass, mother?"

"No."

"Yes you have!"

"No I haven't." A smile was spreading on her lips.

"No, this is your glass, here."

"Where?"

"Really Mother!?"

Kya chuckled as the two argued, taking a sip of her lemonade and looking out across the floor. The bar bustled with activity and there were all sorts of groups gathered around the tables. It was moments like this when the diversity of Republic City became obvious, and she understood why Lin was so keen on keeping it safe. It was peaceful in times like this.

It also made her happy to see Lin not so constricted by police work. Not that she didn't mind her when Lin was all business, but there was just something about her more relaxed, out of her police uniform, in more casual clothes. It reminded her of when after Lin and Tenzin broke up, Kya was there to offer support to her friend, and Lin, for all their differences, welcomed it, even if it wasn't as known what kind of support the Waterbender offered to the Metalbender.

But before she could think more of what could have been, Kya felt someone bump into her, nearly tripping as he walked past her seat.

"Oops, sorry about that," he mumbled.

She turned to look at him. He was a middle aged, rough looking man. Half of his face was covered in bandages, and she could just about make out the massive wound to the side of his face under them. Lin and Toph were too focused on the drinks to pay attention.

"That's fine, thank you" she said back, expecting him to move on.

"Ah, I see..." the man said, noticing something about Kya, putting on a kind grin. "Must say, haven't seen a beautiful moon rose from the Water Tribe like you in a long while."

"While I do appreciate the compliment." Kya smiled politely. "I don't… swing that way if you will."

And it didn't take long for the one-eyed man to realize what she meant. "Oh, OH!" He nodded, his gold eye widened at what he just did, holding up his hands in defense. "Wow, my apologies, apparently my skills with the ladies is way more rustier than I remembered."

Kya couldn't help but find the man's awkwardness in the situation funny. "It's alright, you didn't know."

The gold eyed man scratched the back of his head, putting on a silly, if still embarrassed grin. "You'd think I would, seeing as I had a buddy who preferred the company of guys." He then noticed Lin sitting opposite, but not seeing her face. "Let me guess, she's your girlfriend?"

"Am I whose girlfriend? Lin asked, confusion in her voice, having just heard that last part, glancing up and seeing the one-eyed man as Toph turned her head, having heard the voice too.

"Hey, I remember that voice!"

This caused the color from Hattori's face to drop, realizing who he was just talking to.

"Ahh… shit, just remember I had a thing, bye!" He said quickly, before dashing through the crowds towards the exit.

Just as she was about to ignore this, Lin did a double take, realizing...

"Holy shit," she said, before jumping out of her seat and running after the man, trying to shove through people as fast as she could.

She slammed the doors open and stared out into the street. The man was nowhere to be seen. The sun was setting and the city became littered with shadows.

"SHIT!" She exclaimed again.

Kya and Toph came running out after her.

"What?" Toph said. "What was it?"

Kya lay her hand on Lin's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Lin's rage was seething. "That was him," she said. "That was fucking him."

The two of them didn't need an explanation to know who the Chief was talking about. He had bumped into them right here at the bar, and now seemingly disappeared into thin air.


	6. Chapter Five- A Goodbye and An Realization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before the chapter begins, me and countconiine want to thank you guys for liking the story so far! We know it's certainly darker than the usual Korra story, then again, so was the actual story/comics to the ATLA ones, so it makes some sort of sense. Believe it or not, things are only getting crazier from here on.
> 
> Also, hope you enjoy another OC introduced at the end, we really liked writing her, enough that... oh, why spoil things? XP ENJOY! Comment and give kudos!

This was bad, this was very, VERY bad.

That was the mindset currently ringing in Hattori's head as he grabbed whatever was essential that he could carry, mainly a giant wad of Yuan he stole from some of his past victims, put some new bandages over his head wound after discarding the old ones and a choco chip pastry he bought from a friendly vendor lady… only to scarf it down, due to not having eaten in hours.

After what happened at Jai-Khu's apartment, he needed a drink, sure Hattori always intended to kill the big bastard, but that was it. What happened with his wife was by accident, she surprised him.

On his way out of the apartment and towards the closest dive bar he could find, if just to hide, he saw some ambulances ride by, sirens whaling towards the apartment complex, so he knew that woman was gonna be okay.

Which was a good thing cause he wasn't really gonna kill some old man who stumbled upon the scene… least he hoped so after what happened.

So he went into the nearest bar and wanted to drink the night away, only to get distracted by that one lady with the grey hair, and that's when he mistakenly encountered the woman with the scars who had been after him.

He knew very well who she was, Lin Beifong, Chief of Republic City Police and the daughter of Toph Beifong, who was right there with her! And he also knew that both women and that nice Water Tribe lady now knew of him as "The Equalist Ripper", which the reports on the radio and newspapers have been calling him.

A nickname which he had to admit had a nice ring to it.

But if Lin and Toph knew who he was, then soon, Avatar Korra would know as well.

She would be a large wrench thrown into his plans, so he had to speed things along, thinking things over as he searched for a notable item.

"Where is it, where is it?" He muttered to himself, looking under the old tattered bed, wondering where that katana was. That thing was special to him, something he began to remember when it was made for him by his grandfather before something else went around in his head, getting his attention.

"What do you mean I lost it when-" He muttered to himself, seemingly talking to someone who wasn't there when it struck Hattori like a sack of bricks.

When Jai-Khu threw him around his apartment, the sword fell away from him and in his rush to save that woman and get out, he forgot to take it with him!

Which means the cops took it with them as evidence when they checked out the apartment and have it locked away at the police station! His Hanzo original katana!

"MOTHERFUCKER!"

With that loud use of profanity, all the shadows cast in the cheap apartment shook and vibrated indirectly, normally scaring anyone.

But not Hattori, whose eye was glower redder than ever in his anger, not him or the voice in his head telling him to control his temper and focus on the mission, to make his way to the brothel where his next two targets were.

Then the Shadowbender heard a purr and something brushing against his feet, looking down to see Toshi trying to calm his owner down, giving a curious meow.

This did indeed calm down the murderer, who picked up the Cat Owl and began holding it in an almost loving embrace, petting it, closing his eye.

This, for some reason, made whatever was in his head question something about the animal.

"He's one of the few remnants of the past around that still means something to me…"

That was all the shadowbender said, keeping the animal in his arms before deciding on a choice as he opened his eye, turning back to the calm golden.

"Come on boy, gonna take you to someone…" Hattori said, putting the Cat Owl on his shoulder as he began to leave the apartment, but not before taking what looked like an old photo from his nightstand and stuffing it in his coat pocket.

A minute later, Hattori was knocking on an old yellow door on the bottom floor near the front entrance, waiting and petting Toshi until it opened, showing a elderly woman, looking to have been around since Avatar Aang beat Ozai, behind it.

But the old woman, her eyes squinting behind large glasses knew very well who was at her door and gave Hattori a smile.

"Ah, Mr. Lee! Nice to see you, come to try those rice balls I offered to you earlier?"

Course, Hattori was trying to avoid detection when he began to pay rent for the apartment he was staying in, so he used a fake name, the most obvious one quite frankly, but the elderly owner of the complex didn't notice, not that her not so good vision helped anyway.

"Sorry, not today Mrs. Quan-Lo. Actually, I was wondering, I got some business to take care of which may take a day or so…" Hattori began, he technically wasn't lying. "Would you mind taking care of Toshi while i'm gone?" He asked, holding up the animal.

"Taking care of who?" The woman asked, her hearing not in sync.

"Toshi! Can you take care of him while i'm gone?!" Hattori repeated in a louder volume.

"OOH, of course, come here!" Mrs. Quan-Lo said, smiling and letting her arm out for Toshi to hop on, which the animal did, licking the old woman's cheek. "You know how much my husband and I love Cat Owls."

Hattori tool a quick glance to see the apartment was littered with that particular breed of animal doing their thing, the husband in his big comfy chair not bothered, just listening to music on the radio while looking at a Pal Sho game on his table, with another Cat Owl across from him, tapping at one of the pieces with one of its feet claws.

"Honestly, I hadn't noticed." Hattori noted, not surprised, but ignored the scene, scratching his loyal pet behind the ears. "Okay Toshi, play nice with the others and don't be mean to Mrs. Quan-Lo, she's a nice lady, kay?"

The Cat Owl meowed, giving a nod, making Hattori smile.

"Good, I'll call when i'm on my way back, okay? Thanks Mrs. Quan-Lo." He thanked her, leaving the old woman and his pet alone, waving goodbye as she did back.

"Good luck!"

With that, Hattori was out on the streets once more, looking around and putting up his hood to try hiding his face.

"Yep, time to pay them a visit…"

With that, the Shadowbender was off towards Kyoshi Bridge, the voice in his head approving of this choice… while also mocking him for being an Cat Owl lover.

* * *

The woman had just come to. The crew felt almost bad crowding around her hospital bed like this, but they were all called in by Lin after Hana's initial report. It seemed like they really had a shadowbender on their hands.

Lin took out her notepad, ready to write down anything the woman said.

"W-what?" she muttered. Her injuries would have been so much worse if she hadn't received help at the scene. Either way, she was on a dose of morphine, and it made her drowsy.

"Good morning, Ms Hana." Lin started. "I'm Chief Lin Beifong. We talked briefly before you went into the ER."

Hana seemed to remember her. "Y-yes. The murder... my husband..."

Lin nodded. "Take your time. We're just here for a statement of what happened, if you're feeling fit to retell."

Besides the Chief, Mako, Bolin, Asami and Korra waited for the woman to start talking patiently.

"Well..." she said, "I just came in and saw... my husband fighting this man and-"

"Could you describe the intruder?" Lin asked.

Hana nodded. "Scruffy, looked like a vagrant from the streets, and he was bandaged. Like I couldn't see half his face. I think he only had one eye and it was... it was red one moment... and then golden the next." She frowned, trying to remember. "I... don't know how it changed color but I'm sure it did."

Lin furrowed her brows but wrote that detail down anyway, either way, most certainly sounded like the guy from the bar the night before.

"He... He killed my husband by stabbing him in the neck, but they fought for a while beforehand. I heard it from the other room and came rushing in but..." a silent sob rocked her chest. She closed her eyes and wiped away a few tears."I couldn't do anything to help him. B-but I saw how my husband was... dragged into the shadows and his hand-" she shuddered slightly as she remembered. "His hand was skinned by it. I don't know how to describe it but I just remember seeing his bones." Her voice was shaking. "I could see his bones… And there was so much blood." She tried her best to hold herself together for the sake of the investigation.

That was enough to unnerve the crew gathered around her. After two eye witness accounts, there was no doubt left that they were dealing with a shadowbender. A shiver ran down Korra's spine, remembering the stories the old librarian told her. She wondered whether the killer had gone looking for evil spirits just like those children.

"When he stabbed my husband I yelled out and I knew I shouldn't but I couldn't help it and he turned around and stabbed me blindly. From the look on his face, it was almost like... it was like he didn't mean to. And then he tried to help me." She sighed in pain. "Doctor said I would have died if he didn't help me."

They could feel the poor woman's pain. The man that took her husband's life was the same man that saved hers. It was a difficult position to be in.

Lin couldn't understand why a serial killer would help a collateral victim. Surely, she would only pose more problems for him if she made it out alive They now had witness accounts of him committing the murder, which they wouldn't have otherwise. But still, what reason would this killer try saving her?

"Did the killer say anything that could hint to where he would go next?" The Chief asked.

"Well…" she tried to remember the exact words being said. "I remember Jai-Khu mentioning to him a brothel over near… Kyoshi Bridge? I think." She shook her head. "I don't know. It all happened so fast."

"Any information is much appreciated," Mako said.

"Why would your husband tell him about this brothel?" Korra asked, curious as to why the victim would tell the killer the location.

Hana looked a bit unsure to answer, but knew that any information would help capture the man who murdered her husband. "My husband, he was involved with some illegal activities, but he made sure to keep me out of it, he cared for me, no matter how many women tried getting his attention, I was his only one." She explained, knowing that while her husband was flawed, he was still the man she married out of love, something which Korra and Asami noted themselves as the woman wiped her eyes as she continued.

"My husband did also give two names, Asuki and Vullok. I've never met 'em before, only heard about them a few times from Jai-Khu, apparently those two run the brothel."

The five standing with Hana all exchanged quick looks, they all knew who was next on this killer's list.

"One last question and we'll let you be, Ms Hana," Lin added. "We found a katana at the crime scene, those at the station say it's a "Hanzo Original", made by the master sword makers of the Hanzo family. Did it belong to you or your husband?"

Hana thought for a moment. "No. We don't own any swords."

Lin nodded. It must have belonged to the killer.

A nurse walked into the room, squeezing past the crowd around the woman's bed to change her bandages. "Sorry," she said. "A little privacy please."

The crew nodded and thanked Hana for her help before heading outside.

It seemed like they had a location for the Equalist Ripper's next target.

After getting the info from Hana, the five decided to meet up with Kya back at the bar from the night before, which happened to be a couple blocks away from Lin's place, if anything, so her mother didn't have to travel far.

Speaking of her, Toph was questioned by her daughter and the others about how she knew the killer the night before, but the master Earthbender explained that he just accidentally bumped into her when she was dropped off at Lin's apartment a couple nights before and she only remembered his voice.

Still, they had to lay out a plan, they knew this guy was headed towards the brothel, they had to stop him before he could kill more people, regardless of who his targets were, something which Lin made clear, chin on her hands as she sat at a table. "Alright, this is big people, if I was a betting woman, I'd say with our guy traveling by foot, without any weird shadowbending crap, he'll arrive near Kyoshi Bridge by dusk.

"The perfect time to make his attack." Mako pointed out, taking out some files he grabbed from the station. "Me and Lin contacted various cops at the station. Turns out we know the place we're looking for, simply referred to as "The Pleasure Factory"." He explained, opening a folder and showing various photos shot outside the establishment, showing it looked like a rundown factory building.

"For a while, we've had some of our officers undercover trying to bust the place for awhile, these photos were the best proof we could get of its existence."

"But with everything in the past couple months involving the Spirit Portal and Guan, it was considered more or less small potatoes." Lin brought up, remembering all those events and what they went through before closing the file in her hand, raising it. "Until now"

Korra looked at her file, making sure to get a good look at the building, the thought of someone setting up a place of debauchery near the storied landmarks of the city, including the statue dedicated to her past life, it just felt so wrong. Nonetheless, she knew what must be done. "So that's our plan, we're gonna head there tonight and ambush him. And we will stop him."

"If he's as elusive as our witnesses suggested, then we need to cover all the exits." Asami noted, taking Korra's hand in her own, thinking up something. "But if we're forced to split up, I say we have at least two people together at all times. We've seen what he's capable of."

"Yeah, like a buddy system!" Bolin pointed out, having just taken a sip of his tea.

"Exactly, good idea." Lin agreed, any idea they had to cause more issues for this killer would help. "And we know that he hasn't encountered benders during any of his past attacks, so we, aside from Ms. Sato, may be able to catch this freak off guard."

As Lin kept explaining their gameplan, Asami noticed something with Kya, who during all of this, kept sipping her water, thinking over something to herself. "Kya, what's up?"

The question got the Waterbender to look up, a little startled at being pulled out of her thoughts.

"Hmm? Oh. Sorry. Was just finding it a little hard to believe that the city's serial killer had just bumped into me last night." Kya noted before finding herself forced to make a chuckle, if trying to lighten the mood. "And tried to flirt with me no less."

That last bit caught those not in the bar the night before by surprise, Bolin the most.

"Wait, he does know that-"

"Well, after i told him, yes. Took it in stride."

"AH…" Bolin responded in a slightly curious manner before getting back to his tea. "Still, must have been weird."

"And even, you two were quite chummy." Lin herself noted as the others noticed, yet what caught their attention was the way the Chief said the remark, said it in a manner that made her sound… jealous?

And Lin felt the awkward looks everyone was giving her, trying to say face herself.

"What?"

Thankfully, Mako was there to try getting everyone back on topic. "ANYWAY…" He started, closing his eyes before standing up from his seat. "The big issue we're facing is that while we know what he can do…" He then opened his eyes, a slight bit of uneasiness in them. "None of us has ever encountered a Shadowbender in action, so we still need to be careful."

He then looked at Korra.:"Have you done any consulting with the Spirit World, try to find anything about this kind of bending?"

This question struck the Avatar hard, now realizing that she hadn't done the most logical thing she could have done in this situation, giving a small nervous grin as she twisted her fingers around together.

"Err... no…" She said, voice also nervous before raising her finger up. "BUT I did talk to an old man once at the library."

"Oh spirits…" Asami herself muttered, trying to hold in her laughter at the memory of Korra telling her the story back at the park, her fiance giving her a pout, but moving on anyway.

"He said shadowbending is considered a gift from evil spirits as they're the only way for someone to become one. And judging by the witness accounts, he can use his bending in very... creative ways."

"So could we not just get rid of all the shadows? Like…" Bolin said, trying to snap his fingers. "With a candle? "

"There will always be shadows, Bo. Candle or no candle." Asami had to point out to her friend, who gave a quick thought, following it with another response.

"... even with a big candle?"

"Even with the biggest candle."

During all of this debating about libraries, evil spirits and candles, something was bugging Lin. While looking into spirits wasn't exactly at the top of her list, something about certain spirits enabling Shadowbending as a whole wasn't sitting right with her.

"Something doesn't add up here."

Soon as she said those words, everyone turned to her once more, ready to listen to what she had to say, though she had to clear things up. "What I mean is that it's clear some evil spirit or whatever gave our killer the ability to bend shadows, okay, we know that. But that leaves us with another question, why our guy?"

She then pulled out from another folder she had made of the murders, a quick drawing she had done by one of the guys at the station based on her and Lin's description of the killer.

"What reason does it have for coming to him?

Kya herself looked at the drawing, while not a complete likeness, it looked like him. "Actually, we know the killer has been targeting Equalists, or anyone receptive to their ideology." She then took a nearby pencil and drew up on a napkin the symbol of the Equalist's as everyone watched. "Maybe the answer lies not in what the spirit was thinking, but what the guy wanted and offered."

"What, like the guy offered his soul?" Mako asked, a bit confused. "What could he get out of becoming a shadowbender?"

"The victims..."

Everyone's attention turned to Bolin, himself shifting through the files, along with Korra and Asami, looking at photos taken during the autopsy of each of the victims. "I mean, look at these photos and tell me you don't see what I'm seeing."

Realizing that Bolin was onto something, everyone looked at the photos being passed around, each of the six realizing what he meant. All the victims, aside from that first group in the alleyway, each had the same tattoo, then Lin remembered Hana mentioning the names her husband gave the killer.

"Son of a… he's got it!" The chief said rather out loud, pointing at the tattoos. "They're all connected, and not just because of what they believed in…"

"He knew them personally." Asami finished, looking up at the others. "He's not just going after any random equalist, he's got himself a set list of targets. Has to be for some personal reason!"

"A vendetta." Korra noted before turning to Asami "Did I use that word right?"

"Yes you did love." Asami said, giving a playful roll of the eyes, but also surprised she did.

Bolin then gave the idea even more thought. "Okay, so what's his deal? What did the Equalists do to him?"

"Maybe it wasn't what they did to him." Korra started to piece together a motive, knowing what the group was known for, a look of realization on her face.

"But what they did to someone he knew."

So that was possibly it, the killer was seeking some sort of revenge against a group of Equalists who must have done something horrible, but Lin knew that still wasn't an excuse to hunt down and murder them, even after what they done.

Then the Chief saw the clock, standing up as the others watched. "Still doesn't give him the right to become a bloodthirsty murderer, we have to bring him in and end the madness."

With that, it was time to head out towards Kyoshi Bridge, the group deciding to travel in three separate groups in their own Satomobiles, as to not catch attention from the killer.

One was driven by Asami and Korra, the second with the two brothers, who were going to rendezvous with Opal, explaining their plan to her.

And in the third Satomobile, Lin was driving with Kya in the passenger seat.

The ride started silent, though the Waterbender could tell something was still bugging the Metalbender.

"Lin?... Lin, what's wrong?"

Keeping her eyes on the road, Lin did feel something off, like there was more to this they weren't picking up on. "I don't know Kya. I know there's obviously details missing, but it's the manner of how they're missing." She tried to think of something that'd make sense. "Like, why now, years after Amon's club disbanded, why is the killer doing this now? Why did he wait?" She then turned her head to get a look at Kya. "Was there anything else about this guy that's been throwing you off since yesterday?

As for the Waterbender being questioned, she did have something, but she was unsure if she would bring it up or not, not knowing if it'd make Lin worry anymore than she already has, but she took a deep breath.

"Well, aside from him obviously knowing who you and your mother was… It's probably nothing but…" Kya began before looking at her hand. "When I heal, I can feel people's energy close to me. We all have it and experienced healers know how to use it, even being able to sense it just by being close to them." She then turned her head towards Lin to look at her, unsure of what she felt. "But for this guy... There was nothing."

A sigh escaped Kya's lips as she began shaking her head. "I don't know, it just threw me off. But maybe it doesn't mean anything."

While this luckily didn't make Lin start to worry more, she was a bit more curious. "No energy, huh? Think it's a byproduct of becoming a Shadowbender?" But she shook off her own question, her attention focused. "Whatever, energy or not, we'll handle this guy."

Then Kya felt a hand rest on her shoulder, seeing it was Lin's, who put on a rather smug smirk on her face not unlike her mom.

"We got this guy by the balls."

Kya had to give a chuckle at those choice of words, even if Lin wouldn't admit it, she was Toph's daughter alright.

"We do indeed. Just…" Kya began saying, a softer tone on her voice as she put her own hand over Lin's. "Be careful, okay Lin?"

The tone of voice and choice of words was not lost on the Chief, especially the sight of their hands together in that manner. Then she noticed the kind, assuring smile on Kya's face, she knew that smile well enough.

One full of assurance, gratefulness, kindness. It was similar to the one she gave all those years ago, right after when Tenzin and her broke up.

While the wounds slowly healed between the two, Lin remembered at the time feeling like a complete mess and Kya, not wanting it to spill into her police work, offered to take her on a trip, to get away for a couple days, just the two of them venturing the world outside of the city, alone.

Lin recounted those travels as those she needed to at least get in a better place of mind, she remembered most those dark nights next to the fire the two spent, talking about stuff not relating to the recent troubles.

Then there was the odd silence between the two one night, not realizing how close they were, only for things to happen… not as they expected, but at the same time, they didn't deny them happening. Nothing more resulted from that night…

… or, least Lin thought so, if her heart pounding like crazy was saying anything. Thankfully her friend couldn't use seismic sense she thought, giving her own smile and nodding back after what seemed like forever, but was really just a couple seconds.

"You too Kya."

* * *

"Couple hours later, but here we are…"

Thankfully for Hattori, he had been able to avoid detection from the police or any potential witnesses during his long walk towards Kyoshi Bridge, seeing the statue of the old Avatar as he looked up at the sight from the streets as night started to fall.

"You know, I remember checking out that statue years ago…" The Shadowbender said to himself, seeming to wait for a response that he seemed to only hear, which he got before nodding. "Yep, wanted to go back since."

Then something else went through the killer's mind, a… memory of sorts, along with another, and another, until it led to one that looked to distress him slightly, just from his eye closing tightly alone.

"Yeah, i know, just… let's get-"

Suddenly Hattori's attention was taken by hearing a familiar sound to him, looking to the side and jumping into a nearby alleyway, slinking into a cast shadow, watching from inside it as a Satomobile driven by some officers drove by, the killer waiting a few more seconds before walking out of the shadows.

That was the fourth time he had to hide within shadows that day from any officers that happened to be passing by, only because before the first time, when inside a store to rest his legs, one officer walked into the building.

Hattori was just thankful the cop was there to buy some seal jerky while on patrol and didn't notice him, but it was still a close call.

"Hey there, man!"

Shit, Hattori should have checked out the environment more, turning around to see a younger guy approaching him, big sword in hand pointed at him.

"Don't you move or make a sound, just give me your yuan!"

To say Hattori, or even the voice in his head, was underwhelmed would be an understatement, just looking at the guy attempting to rob him.

"... what are you doing?"

The thief himself got closer, keeping the sword aimed at him, looking around quickly.

"I said don't make a sound! Now, Yuan, gimme all you got!"

Hattori just stared dumbfounded at the guy, shaking his head at how this guy was even handling the weapon. "Have you even used a sword before?" He asked as the thief gave a rather dumb laugh.

"Actually no, first timer."

Even the voice in Hattori's head couldn't help but be thrown in a loop at how random and quite frankly, dumb this situation was, the Shadowbender pointing at the shadow he just walked out of.

"Do you even realize who you're trying to rob? Did you not see me come out of the shadows?"

"Of course, I saw you bend the shadows to escape from those cops annn…"

NOW the thief realized what a dumb move he made as his voiced trailed off, it now processing who he just tried to rob.

"Spirits, you're that Shadowbender!"

All Hattori responded with was a simple nod as if to say 'Yeah, no shit...', noting something in his head which he agreed with. "Well, I can't say you're a complete idiot."

Before the thief could even attempt to use his brain function to process the thought of escaping, Hattori quickly waved his arms and hands to his left, causing a large moving wall to form from the thief's own shadow, slamming him right into some trash cans hard, knocking him out as Hattori lowered his arms.

"I can't help but feel insulted at how dumb that guy is…" Hattori noted, walking over to the guy and reaching into his pockets, finding only some crumbled up Yuan bills, which he shook at, pocketing them.

"Yeah, me too." Hattori seemingly said to himself, walking out of the alley, seeing the building he's been looking for, resuming his venture. "Oh well, back to pressing matters…"

Approaching the building, Hattori looked around, no guards seemed to be around, unless they were that good at staying out of sight. But he noticed how one part of the ground looked like it was stepped on a lot, leading to a metal wall, which would have been nothing if not for the fact that it was a different color compared to the rest of the building.

Unsure of what to do next, Hattori approached the wall, giving a quick look around the area, then knocked on the wall.

Just then, part of the wall looked to move on its own at eye level, forming a rectangle shaped hole with a set of dark brown eyes on the other side looking at Hattori.

"Oy, homeless, get off the property!" A voice, a female one at that, yelled at him.

Hattori blinked his one eye rather amused, looking around. "But I, ah… want in, was suggested by an old friend, told me this place had great girls?… guys?… or whatever's in-between, which hey, I'm not one to judge."

"Is that right?" The voice, belonging to a guard who could metalbend, asked, her eyes scanning over Hattori more. "What's the password?"

That made the Shadowbender give a mock thought. "Voice inside my head says 'Fire blossom'?''

"Ha, lucky guess. Do you even have the Yuan to enter? You look like you don't even have enough to get spit on by our cheapest whore." The guard's voice noted Hattori's appearance, which he couldn't exactly disagree with.

"Right, yeah…" Hattori began, now putting on a deadpan look on his face, as much as one eye could allow, taking out of his pocket the large wad of Yuan he had on him. "I don't think Yuan is going to be a issue here."

Hearing that response, the wall was metalbended again, this time to create a large enough entrance for him, showing the guard indeed was a short tan skinned woman with a brown braided mohawk, wearing a white long sleeve dress shirt, suspenders, black dress pants, shoes and gloves, giving an assuring smile to Hattori.

"Well, why didn't you say so…" The guard, looking the part of a tomboy, said, patting Hattori on the shoulder as he entered. "Come inside, have any weapons on you?"

Now the voice in Hattori's head was telling him that maybe it was a good thing he didn't have his katana on him, the one-eyed man shaking his head. "Nope, unarmed." Technically he wasn't lying.

"Good, because the owners don't allow any weapons past this point." The guard said, pointing at a display rack of weapons, presumably belonging to those inside. "That all said, please enjoy the Pleasure Factory."

"Oh, I think I will." Hattori said, beginning to make his way down the otherwise empty hall to another door, though he'll enjoy his visit for a different reason.


	7. Chapter Six- Paths Collide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a bit of a Trigger warning due to the amount of violence in this chapter and some prostitution. That last one may not seem like much, but it'll make sense later on. So just a heads up.

Coming into the brothel, Hattori paused for a moment to take a look around, getting his bearings. The place was dimly lit and adorned with black leather furniture and scarlet curtains around private booths. And he could hear various sorts of sounds from said private booths, the kind he and the voice in his head expected out of a place like this.

He then scanned the people gathered here. Seducers worked their magic on the seats against enthralled customers, some guards in suits, a bartender or two serving drinks and an area where he guessed some girl would dance for whoever was in the middle, various chairs around the stage for people to sit and watch.

There was even some musician in the corner playing a familiar song on a four stringed Pipa, it reminded Hattori of when he tried playing it years ago, failing to play a simple tune, but it did catch the attention of one person...

But just as he then noticed near a large glass fish tank a large metal door, assuming another guard was behind it, a young woman of Fire Nation heritage, certainly one of the workers, approached him in quite an skimpy attire, mainly consisting of a red and gold bikini that looked a couple sizes too small on her.

He eyed the girl for a moment. She would make for a good cover.

"Hey there, handsome, what happened to you?" she coaxed, playing up the bandages she noticed he had on.

"Just a little accident involving some punk who tried to rob me, got a lucky shot in before I took care of him." Hattori said, which he sorta wasn't lying about. Yet it seemed to work as the girl reached up onto his chest, interested.

"Poor baby. What might you be looking for tonight?"

"Well, usually I go for ladies from the Water Tribes, but..." he looked the girl up and down, at least Asuka and Vullok had good taste in girls. "You're certainly a nice change of pace."

The young woman grinned and motioned for him to follow her with her finger, bending a small flame at the tip of her finger. "Follow me." She then led him behind the curtains of a booth further into the brothel, away from that door. Before heading inside, Hattori took one last discrete look out, planning his next moves.

Inside, the Fire Nation girl slinked past Hattori and laid on the side couch in a sexual manner, removing her top to expose her breasts with one hand.

"Take a seat here…" she began before licking her finger that had the flame, putting it out without twitching before reaching to the one-eyed man's waist. "My name is Karai, let's see how you like th-"

"Listen," Hattori said, keeping his voice down as he stopped her, something briefly going through his mind, but not the voice in his head, but gave a rather solemn look at the girl. "Look, obviously you're a lovely girl, but i'm not interested. I just need you to work with me for a minute."

The girl's expression dropped. "What?"

"I need you to stay in here for a little while. A little later, you can walk out, but for now stay here, please?" He then dropped a wad of yuan on the leather seating. "Do what you want with all this." Noticing the stick in her hair, he took it out, letting her black hair drop. "And I'll be taking that."

She watched as Hattori peered out of the curtains and looked down at the ground, confused as to what was going on. Before he left, he turned and said one last thing.

"I'd suggest waiting ten minutes before leaving this place."

Things were about to get ugly and she knew that, but she did as she was told. Whatever was happening, she didn't want to be in the crossfire.

Hattori snuck to the back of the brothel, keeping to the shadows of the poorly lit place, and in some cases, inside the shadows.

He kept an eye out for anyone, but he got by unnoticed. He rounded the corner and came to the big metal door, knowing someone was behind it.

So looking around, Hattori knocked hard on the hard door before vanishing into the shadows as the door opened, the guard coming out to see what was up, turning his bulky frame around as he looked through his black and white spirit mask.

When he saw no one on the other side, the guard grumbled to himself, going back and closing the door.

But when he turned around, suddenly he saw the one-eyed Shadowbender rose up in front of him from his own shadow,

It was the last thing he was able to do willingly as, clutching the hair stick in his hand, Hattori stuck it up through the guard's jaw. The man started to choke before the shadowbender covered his mouth to be quiet, slowly lowering him to the ground, waiting for his life to drain out of him until the masked guard stopped moving.

Looking up at the door, Hattori noticed another door at the end of the hall, with the small, rectangular sliding panel at eye level, sighing at this.

"Oh, come on-"

But his response when interrupted by the masked guard's body twitching, reaching up at him, forcing the shadowbender to try dealing him.

"Why didn't… you… tell me…" Hattori grunted as he struggled with the still alive guard before quickly twisting his neck hard enough to hear a snap, finally doing the job, breathing a little hard at this.

"Yeah, no shit he's dead now…"

Then the one-eyed man had an idea, looking down at the mask, then at the next door.

A few seconds later, Hattori approached the second door, sliding the bloody mask over his face to hide his identity before knocking in the door three times and waited.

Someone slid the panel open, peering out at Hattori in the guard's mask.

"What is it?" the voice said. Two dark brown eyes glared at him, thinking he was his colleague.

"Open the door. I need to talk to Asuki."

The man behind the door squinted, curious.

"Why?"

Hattori quickly made something up on the spot. "A client's angry. He wants to talk to someone in charge."

The guard rolled his eyes and opened the door, freezing as he saw the dead body behind Hattori. "What the-"

He had no time to finish his sentence as Hattori dug the hairstick deep into one of the eyeholes of the mask. Blood spurted out of the eye socket, staining his sleeve a deep red. The guard fell against the wall, clutching his face, trying to stop the bleeding and save himself but it was no use. Whatever his last words were, Hattori didn't care for them as he quickly drove his foot into the hairstick, shoving it deeper into the guard's head, killing him as the killer chuckled to himself, taking off the mask.

"There she is," he said, chuckling as he turned, looking at a woman his age standing behind a desk. She had white hair in a bun and pencil thin eyebrows, glaring at Hattori, recognizing him. "How have you been, Asuki?" his tone was full of seething fury.

"I knew you'd come," she said. He didn't expect her to sound so calm. "Me and Vullok have been waiting, after what you did to Pi-Lao, Raiko and Jai-Khu..." Her eyes darted to the dead guard, his blood staining the expensive carpet as it started to pool around him. "And I know what you want." She looked to her side. A tall, bulky man handed her a folder and she slammed it down on the desk in front of Hattori. "Thank you, my dear Vullok."

He studied the folder. "What's this?"

"I know where the others are. One may have vanished without a trace, but the other two are all in here." She slid the folder closer to him. "Well what are you waiting for? Take it."

He furrowed his brows, taking the folder in hand, giving each piece of paper a look before looking back at the two targets. "You two really think you'll get away if you give me this?"

The woman let out a snigger. "I don't think. I know."

She then stood up and walked over to a shelf full of various bottles of alcohol and took out a glass, pouring the contents of one bottle into it, offering it to Hattori. "Want some?"

All she got was a deathly look from Hattori, shaking his head before focusing his one eye on Vullok, who stayed in place, unmoving like the giant mountain of a man he was, but his own eyes focused on the man from his and Asuki's past.

"Wasn't until we heard what happened to Raiko from some of our sources in the police department that me and Vullok knew you were back as the so-called "Equalist Ripper"…"

Hattori listened to his target, watching her sip the drink she had in hand, Asuki not frightened at the man she thought was dealt with, though she was curious how.

"But the question remains, how did you come back after what happened?"

This caused a dark chuckle to come from the one-eyed man, getting the two's attention.

"Guess your sources forgot to mention one detail…"

Hattori then closed his gold eye, only to open it a second later, red once more, a look of evil on his face.

"I'm the Shadowbender everyone is so scared of. And so should the both of you."

But yet… Asuki was not bothered, looking into that red eye.. and shrugged, an action that confused Hattori.

"Oh, I figured that out already, connected the pieces, which is why I set this up…"

Then with a snap of her fingers, a bright light shined down onto Hattori, bright enough to temporarily blind him.

And that was all Vullok needed to let him suddenly appear behind Hattori and wrap a metal wire around his neck and tighten it,

As the one-eyed man dropped to his knees, struggling to break free of the large man's grip, Asuki put on a fancy coat and began walking out of the room, stopping to turn at the sight.

"Vullok, when you're finished, please get rid of the bodies and meet me at our home."

"Yes sister…" was all the large bald man said, watching Hattori keep trying to get free from his grip.

* * *

Lin took one more look at Kya before stepping out of the satomobile.

"Are you sure you can handle your cover story?"

The healer was dressed in a fancy blue halter dress with a long slit on the right side of it, her long grey hair tied in a more compact bun with hairsticks keeping it together. While she kept her collar, underneath it, a fake tattoo of a dragon spirit jutted out, drawn on rather impressively by Korra.

"You saying I couldn't be a pimp if I wanted to?" she scoffed, throwing the car door open and straightening her back. Her black leather high-heels shone even in the dim evening light. "Watch me."

Lin sighed and headed out after her. Their costumes had been Kya's idea after all, reasoning that there was no way they could get in with their regular attires. Especially in the case of Lin, Asami and most certainly Korra, the most recognizable of the bunch.

Still, Lin looked down at herself and gave a huff. Having to strip down to nothing but a white sleeveless shirt that felt like it was unbuttoned too far down for her liking, even with her bra on, and her black trousers were tight around her waist. While she kept in top shape for her age, she felt rather embarrassed to flaunt her body in public, at least compared to Kya.

"Come along, Jade," Kya called out, faking an accent and using Lin's cover name. "Don't leave me waiting." Okay, now she was just having too much fun.

The Chief played along and followed obediently towards the brothel. Asami and Korra were already there, and she spotted Mako, Bolin and Opal arriving too. Everything was going according to plan so far. No one had arrived together.

The Avatar had the hardest time disguising herself, being the most recognizable of the six. To hide herself, she dressed as a Kyoshi warrior, faking ignorance and pretending to be a tourist in Republic City. Asami had shoved her hair up under a flat brim cap and dressed in loose jackets and pants, looking like a papergirl showing the Kyoshi warrior around the "best" areas in town. They got past the skeptical guard alright, Asami flaunting the wad of yuan she had just in case.

Kya and Lin were next to approach the door. The healer knocked on the door half-heartedly, huffing in boredom. The guard looked at them through the door and she squinted.

"You two want in? Password."

Kya rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that crap and let's cut to business sweetie." She stood up straight before the guard. "I've got this one here. How much for her?" she nodded towards Lin. The Chief played along as best she could, standing shyly behind the pimp and smiling in the most charming way she knew.

The guard considered her offer for a moment, eyes focused on how Lin looked. "That's your bitch?""

Before Lin was even considering yelling at the young guard for calling her a bitch, which she hated, Kya quickly shut her up by placing her finger on her lips, giving a devious smirk. "Yes she is, right bitch?."

Lin bit back her snark reply, giving a simple nod. "Yes, ma'am. I am your… bitch."

"What can she do?" The guard asked, more curious. "Cause no offense, but she's got some mileage and years on her."

Kya wasn't expecting this question. She was forced to improvise on the spot again just before Lin could shoot back. "Why, she's Earth Kingdom's finest at… tongue lashings." She leaned in to whisper to the guard through the door. "Believe me, don't mind the scars and remember that age is just a number, the things I've had her do.." She winked at the guard. "The things I've done WITH her."

Then to fully sell the act, Kya suddenly forced a deep kiss onto Lin's lips to her surprise. But the Chief knew couldn't break character, so she accepted it as she held onto her friend before the Waterbender finished, smirking as she knew it would be enough for the guard to believe them.

"So, is she worth it now?"

The guard sniggered from behind the door. "Alright. You've got a good one there." She opened the door and let them through, giving a rather sly smile. "Not even into girls and I found that sexy."

As they walked in, Lin looked behind her to see the other three walking out of their cars, having seen the whole show going down. As if things couldn't get worse, Korra and Asami had probably heard it from inside too. Her face was burning with embarrassment as they met with them. "Not a word about this. _EVER._ " she whispered to them, but especially Kya, who simply grinned.

"Of course, Jade. Now focus darling."

Lin huffed and dropped it.

As for Mako, Bolin and Opal, they were supposed to be guarding the exit. They took up their position outside, dressed in black jeans and leather jackets, faking the biker look as much as they could. Mako leaned against the wall and lit up a cigarette. He didn't smoke, but Opal said it would make him look believable if he faked it.

Bolin took a swig from a can of beer. They had replaced it with mango juice before coming, knowing how much of a lightweight Bolin was. Either way, it made him look legit.

Opal kept an eye out for anything, chewing obnoxiously on her gum, lifting her sunglasses up on her head. Her hair was slicked back and her eyes were covered in dark makeup.

From the door, they heard the guard calling out to them. "Hey, what are you loitering for? Either give me the password and come in, or bugger off!" she said.

Mako held up his cigarette and replied in the lowest voice he could muster. "Just finishing this up, love."

This earned a rather playful laugh from the guard, who bended the door open, getting a better look at Mako.. "Alright. Come on in when you and your friends are ready, handsome." Then she sealed the offer with a blow of a kiss towards him.

That caught the firebender off guard with how well he played that, almost dropping his cigarette on the ground as the door closed. That and he was surprised how… spunky the guard was.

* * *

As for Hattori, he was dealing with more pressing matters, like trying not to get choked out by one of his targets as the other was getting away.

Both he and Vullok struggled with each other, moving and slamming around the room as the one-eyed man tried reaching out for something, anything to get Vullok to release his grip, from grabbing and jabbing his head and leg with a ink pen, to grabbing the glass Asuki drank out of and slamming it against the large man's head, to even grabbing the file and pitfully whacking it against him.

Those and other tricks weren't working until Hattori, feeling like an idiot getting strangled, had an idea and swung his free hand down, causing a tentacle to come out of the shadows to grab one of Vullok's hands, releasing his grip and allowing Hattori to fall down, gasping for air, holding his throat.

Turning to look at the larger of his targets, Hattori saw Vullok grab the tentacle with his other hand and actually look to pull it apart, causing the shadow to fall into his own before turning his attention towards Hattori.

But the Shadowbender, having taken a broken glass shard from the glass cup, ran and slid underneath his huge legs, slashing at one of them.

But as soon as he looked up, Hattori saw Vullok yell and bend over, picking him up and flipping him face first up into the ceiling and down onto the ground.

Something which normally would have done more damage if not for Hattori falling onto a shadow, allowing him to sink into it, making the former Equalist growl in anger, looking around, taking off his jacket, suit shirt and tie, pounding at his bare chest.

Yet that didn't stop the man with the single gold eye from suddenly appearing behind Vullok, jumping up and hanging on to him, repeatedly attempting to stab him in the chest and stomach with the glass shard from behind.

Something which after the sixth bloody stab, Hattori realized still wasn't working as the large man shook his head, a shit eating grin on his face before running backwards into Asuki's bookshelves, with Hattori crushed in between them.

Noticing his enemy was still holding on, Vullok did it again, and again, and again, until he turned and ran backwards towards the door into the hallway…

* * *

_Five minutes before..._

Korra, Asami, Lin and Kya entered the main part of the brothel, looking around the seedy environment, seeing what looked like two twin sisters dancing on the stage in the middle as various men, and some women, threw various Yuan bills at them.

"Spirits, I feel like I need a shower just by being in here." Lin noted in her own deadpan style.

"I think we're all gonna need one." Asami noted, noticing that the dancers themselves didn't look like they enjoyed being here.

"Still, we need to find this guy, where would he be?" Korra asked, trying to scope out the environment, noticing the various curtained off booths. "I have a idea."

Before the three knew it, the Avatar rushed over to one booth and opened the curtain. "AH… ha?" She said, her voice deflating at what she saw.

"Hey, if you're gonna watch, it's gonna cost you!" A female voice rang out before Korra closed the curtain quickly, apologizing before going back over to her three allies, looking mortified.

"Maybe… we should ask the guards if they... saw our guy."

"Good idea, Li-JADE, you're with me." Kya agreed, walking away with Lin following, leaving Korra with Asami, who looked at her still mortified fiance, a bit concerned.

"Hey, what was it you saw?"

"A… a guy having sex with a girl… dressed up and acting… like me." Korra said in a rather surprised tone.

"That… is referred to as roleplay, it's perfectly normal for a guy to wanna act out having sex with a girl who's dressed up and playing the role of you." Asami tried to explain in her own way, but she saw Korra slowly shake her head with eyes widened.

"Yes, but not when it's the GUY dressed up and acting like me while the girl is in control."

That got Asami's attention, blushing rather madly at why her soon to be wife was in this state.

"... ah… let's just… block that out and find the killer." The heiress noted before both began their search.

While they asked the guards, so did Lin and Kya, saying the guy they were looking for was an old friend of theirs, but none of the guards they asked even saw the one-eyed man.

After three minutes of looking, they, along with Korra and Asami regrouped near the bar, wondering where the guy could be.

"I don't get it, this guy should be here." Korra brought up, looking for any odd sign of the killer.

"Yeah, we should have catched some hint of him by now, right?" Kya asked before Lin held up her hand to shut them up. This entire time, it's been a pain to use her bending to track the killer down by sensing his heartbeat or movement, what with all the excited forms of both happening all over the brothel.

But this time, she got a single heartbeat, going faster than normal, at least normal for the person, pointing at a nearby booth, currently closed off, the four silently making their way to it before opening it, but inside was not what they hoped.

There they saw a topless worker, holding a large amount of Yuan in hand, surprised to see them.

"OOH… ah… this booth is busy?"

But Lin wasn't buying it, knowing something was up, noticing how off her hair was looking, like it was fixed up, but now it wasn't, and she had an idea who was with her as was the others.

"Did you have a man with you, scruffy, ragged…" Asami asked, which the girl named Karai nodded.

"Had bandages over his eye and ear?"

"Yes! Where is he?" Korra too asked, happy to be one step closer.

"I… I don't know, I offered my services, but it turns out he only needed me to… I don't know, get close to Madam Asuki?" Karai explained, showing the Yuan in hand. "He paid me a lot just to stay here and-"

But then Lin grabbed her by her shoulders, surprised at her saying the owner's name. "Wait, 'Asuki'? Where is she, where's her office?"

"Right behind you." Karai answered before seeing something behind them. "OH, there she is now." The four then turned to see her closing the door, looking around to make sure no one was any the wiser. "But where's Vullok?"

Korra didn't waste the chance and rushed over to the older woman and grabbed her to get her attention.

"What the-WHAT IS THIS?" The owner asked, seeing herself be grabbed by some random Kyoshi Warrior.

"Asuki, you don't know me, but you're in serious danger!" Korra said in a worried tone.

"I'd say, one of my whores dressed up like a Kyoshi Warrior is rudely grabbing me."

"Wha?" Korra asked in a confused manner before remembering her disguise. "What, no, not that!"

"Then what then?"

Realizing that regardless of who Asuki used to follow, she had to protect her from the killer, Korra whispered into her ear. "I'm Avatar Korra, and I'm here because word is the Shadowbender has targeted you and your partner and is here."

This earned the Avatar a reaction she was not expecting, one of laughter and amusement from the older woman, smiling at this.

"OH my, who put you up to this?" Asuki asked, finding this to be some form of joke, before looking at the other three women rushing up to her and Korra, pointing at Asami. "Was it the papergirl?" Then both Lin and Kya. "Or was it the lesbians here?"

"WHAT?!" Kya yelled out loud at that as Lin herself had to hold her back, surprised that she had to.

Just then, two masked guards approached the owner and got close to the four women, having seen what Korra did and heard Kya's outburst.

"Madam Asuki, any of these women giving you any trouble?" One asked, only for Asuki to shake her head, wiping a tear from her eye due to the laughter.

"Oh no boys, it's all good." She began before looking at the four. "Actually, i know Mr. Hattori Hanzo has indeed come for me, in fact, my trusted younger brother Vullok is currently dealing with him at the moment."

The rather blasue manner of Asuki saying Hattori's name peaked the attention of Korra, who looked at Asami, Lin and Kya before back at Asuki.

"Hattori Hanzo?"

As if to interrupt the moment, a loud burst was heard as the five and the guards turned around to see a large man smashing through the metal door backwards, another man on his back.

One who both Lin and Kya recognized from the bandage alone.

"It's him!" Lin yelled out before getting in Metalbending position and flung various metal stools at Hattori.

Just for Vullok to turn around at the worst time, getting hit in the chest by them, causing both him and the golden eyed man to slam into the fish tank, causing the glass to shatter and cause water to spill out on the floor, resulting in various workers and guests attempt to rush out to avoid the fight.

"Shit!" Korra said, bending the water all over the ground and getting some of the fish who had been let out inside large mugs, while saving some water to use as a weapon, freezing Hattori's hands together to his confusion.

"WHAT THE...?!" Hattori said out loud, turning to see what he thought was some random Kyoshi Warrior having waterbended his hands frozen, confused at the sight. "When did Avatar Kyoshi come back to-"

But before he could finish, Vullok screamed punching him in the side of his face, knocking the bandages off of his face before grabbing him by the back of the head, dragging him over near the glass shards still protruding where the fish tank was before starting to slowly push his face towards it.

"Hey, the fuck are you doing!?" Lin began before Asuki stopped her in place before placing her hand in front of Korra.

"Like I said, you have nothing to worry about, Vullok will handle the city's shadowbender problem… CHIEF BEIFONG." Asuki explained, making sure her voice dripped with venom, knowing fully well who she's been talking to the cop's surprise. "Think of it as a win-win situation."

Listening to Vullok's laughter at getting his opponent's face close to the glass shards, especially a large one right near his good eye, with his hands frozen, Hattori began to feel like he failed his mission, that he failed his-

But then something interrupted his thoughts, a familiar voice began to ring out in his head as his face got closer to the sharp glass, ringing louder and louder as his gold eye closed tightly, images only he could see flashing in his mind.

" _Don't you die, don't you dare die on me… you haven't failed, keep on fighting, avenge them, kill this bastard, kill them all, don't you stop until they're all dead by your hands…"_

And then, the dark spirit who gave him the ability to shadowbend had one last thing to say.

" _RIP AND FUCKING TEAR THEM APART!"_

At that moment, Hattori's eye burst open, the golden color of his eyes vanishing, replaced by pure glowing red rage, just a inch away from the tip of the glass shard as smashed the ice off his hands on the display before grasping his fists, resulting in tentacles emerging from the shadows he and Vullok were casting, wrapping around the large man's legs to his surprise.

And then to the horror of everyone watching, the tentacles clenched onto Vullok's legs so hard, both legs broken in multiple places, leaving them dangling as the large former Equalist fell to the ground on his back, screaming in pain before looking and reaching out to his older sister who herself was terrified at what she was watching.

"Sister…" Vullok cried out before suddenly feeling Hattori's hands grab him by the back of the head and forcibly slam him throat first into the same glass shard he attempted to use on him, blood splattering all over the broken glass and mixing with what water remained, gasping in bloody pain.

"Come on already...!" Hattori hissed before suddenly raising Vullok's head back up from the glass, showing a bit or two was still stuck in it before slamming it down again, and again, and again, forcing more glass to break upon impact and more blood to squirt out, some hitting his face.

"JUST! FUCKING! DIE! ALREADY!" The Equalist Ripper roared in anger, punctuating each word with another slam, not even caring that Vullok was already dead by this point, around the second slam to be exact, he was so caught up in the bloodlust, he was practically sawing away at the throat sideways along the broken glass shards.

Everyone was too shocked to even make a move, except for the two masked guards who attempted to pull Hattori away, only for said bender to knock them away and push his hands towards them, resulting in not tentacles coming out of the shadows, but spikes that forced themselves into the mouth and foreheads of the guards, killing them in place before the spikes went back to the shadows, dropping the bodies.

Just when Korra looked at Asami, who looked at Kya, who turned to Lin, all of them shocked to see the level of violence on display from this one Shadowbender, they heard a name escape his lips as he made deep breaths.

"ASUKI..."

The four looked at the Madam, while Mako, Bolin and Opal, after finally having come in, rushed in having heard the noise and too were frozen in shock at the sight of the murder.

Asuki herself was the most wide-eyed, having just watched her most trustful partner and younger brother be viciously murdered by the man from her past, not even blinking as she saw Hattori slowly turn his head around to look at her, frightened not because of his single glowing red eye…

… but because of the massive headwound on the side of his face where his eye and ear should be, no longer covered by the bandages.

The dimmed lighting made him look like a monster… one who began pointing at Asuki with two more words to say.

"YOU'RE NEXT."


	8. Chapter Seven- You Want to See Her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a bit of a Trigger warning due to the amount of violence in this chapter, along with a few sexist remarks and implied paedophilia. So just a heads up.

"Freeze!" Lin yelled on top of the madness. People that were still around to watch the events that unfolded began to scream, hurtling around the brothel to safety as the crew stood their ground. "Stand still and put your hands behind your back!" She roared, knowing full well that Hattori won't listen as she took cautious steps towards him.

The shadowbender turned to look at her with his one eye. A horrific gap in his flesh stood where his other socket should have been, the skin had scarred crudely. "Spirits, you again?" he noted, before looking her outfit up and down, "What's up with the slutty getup?"

Before Lin could reply he took the crew by surprise, hurtling shadows at their faces, blinding them for a moment as he dashed towards Asuki. The woman screamed and brought her fists down onto his back as he tackled her, but Hattori pretended to not even feel it. He forced her onto the ground and clasped his hands around her neck, his bodyweight too much for her to overthrow as she flailed her arms uselessly at his face.

Korra swatted the shadow out of her face and sent a bolt of fire towards Hattori. He threw himself to the side to duck out of the way, but it gave Asuki enough time to crawl away, gasping for air desperately. He growled, his glowing red eye turning towards the Avatar.

"Stay out of my way! She's mine!" With a swift motion of his hand, he rose a shadow tentacle and swatted it towards Korra, throwing her off balance. He leaped across the floor again as Mako threw his own fire towards him, and ducked out of the way of Lin's metal bindings.

He smirked at the crew's feeble attempts as he spun around the boulders Bolin threw at him, jumped over the gusts of air from Opal, passing by Asami's kicks with ease and raised up a shield made of shadows to block a wave of water by Kya.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Asuki making a run for it towards the door and his smile dropped. He was done playing games. In an instant, he disappeared into the shadows, dashing towards Asuki along the wall.

She gasped as he grasped her by her shoulders, heaving her to him and forcing her into the shadows with him, taking them outside into the street near the entrance.

"You thought that little team Avatar could save you?" Hattori growled as he shoved her across the sidewalk, letting her stumble before regaining her balance.

Asuki chuckled. "I'll give it to you, Hattori. You sure know how to hold a grudge." She lifted her head to look at him, wiping away the trickle of blood from her nose, seeing it was bleeding "But no matter what you do, you'll never bring her back." A grin spread across her face. "The rock throwing cunt is dead."

Hearing this, Hattori was filled with even more rage. His face burnt with pure anger and he let out a thunderous roar as he swung at her with his fist, its full force connecting with the side of her face, knocking her to the ground.

"DON'T YOU FUCKING SPEAK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT!" He bellowed. He lifted Asuki up by her collar, holding her grunting and bleeding face a few inches from his. "You're a sick monster, ALL OF YOU!" he said, spitting his words.

"Me?" Asuki's fractured jaw burned as she spoke. "Look at you. You're the monster."

Hattori's breathing quickened. His body ached with the anger that she riled up inside him and he slammed her body against the side of the building with a thud. "I'm gonna break every bone in your body, you bitch!"

Asuki grunted against the pain. "Let's... see it then..." She struggled to speak by this point, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of breaking her. She looked down at the door to the brothel. The Avatar team was only just making their way out. They won't save her in time.

Hattori then held her against the wall with one hand on her jaw, covering her mouth, forcing her to struggle for every breath. With his fingers, he squeezed harder and harder against the sides of her mouth, ignoring her muffled screams.

Finally, a loud crack rang through the street as her jaw gave out. "That'll teach you to speak out of line again," he said, lowering his voice, an unsettling calm coming over his tone. Asuki knew this would only mean he had worse things planned as pain radiated through her jaw.

The sounds of the crew's footsteps were becoming closer and closer. He knew they would stop him soon. He had to end this faster than he would have liked.

"AAARH!" Hattori yelled as he threw her body through the air into the road, watching as she flailed uselessly before crashing down into the street. She screamed as her bones cracked against the tarmac.

In her pain, Asuki just noticed Hattori simply waving at her goodbye before the former Equalist was run over by a delivery vehicle that had no time to stop before crushing her under its wheels.

Hattori could make out her crumbled silhouette rolling under the car, shrouded in the shadows, reaching into his coat pocket, inside feeling the photo he grabbed before he left feeling more crumpled, but still there. Thank the spirits.

The crew froze, having witnessed the scene too late to be able to stop it. Asuki's breathless body laid lifeless in the road as the driver rushed out, panicking.

"You..." Lin started to yell, making her way over to Hattori. "Are under arrest." She commanded, voice steady in the face of death..

Hattori grinned. "So I am, sister..." With what felt like his last moments, Hattori took one last look at Asuki. Her body stuck to the floor in front of him, mush as her bones were all shattered, and her cracked head dripped brain matter onto the concrete.

His rage finally died down as his red eye turned gold once more, getting on his knees, putting his hands behind his head, willingly allowing Lin to arrest him by cuffing his hands together.

As Hattori lowered his head, feeling the metal move around his hands as the Chief bended them together, he felt a single tear roll down from his single tear duct, one no one could have seen, a single image briefly flashing in his head.

"So I am."

* * *

All the way on the other side of the city, Toph was inside Lin's apartment, boiling herself a pot of tea as she listened to one of those radio shows Korra was raving about, something about sea pirates.

She had to admit, it was very goofy, but at the same time, very engaging.

Knowing what her daughter was doing with the Avatar, her friends and Kya, Toph had a feeling they were in for a rough battle with this Shadowbender everyone has been talking about.

She heard the stories herself, but never believed them, though she had to admit some of what Lin had told her did match some details.

But she knew that as stubborn her daughter could be, like herself, she was a fighter and wouldn't back down. And with Korra and the others on her side, she knew they'd have this guy beat.

Then as she began to stretch her back, she felt through her bending the metal of the teapot getting hotter, meaning the tea was just about…

Then a loud whistle was heard, giving the former Chief of police the cue to walk over to it and put it to a burner not currently on, turning off the stove before pouring herself a cup, blowing on it.

"Alright, let's see…" She noted to herself, sipping the hot liquid, licking her lips a bit to try figuring out the taste, but shook her head.

"It's good, but years later and I still don't know how Iroh made his tea so good."

"Arr, come at me you-"

"We regret interrupting this programming to bring you a breaking story in progress!"

The news report interrupting her stories got Toph's attention as she turned her head towards the radio, walking over, cup in hand, sipping it as she listened.

"We have been getting various eyewitness reports that the killer, referred to by some as "The Equalist Ripper" or "The Shadowbender" has finally been apprehended by both Avatar Korra and the Chief of Republic City police, Lin Beifong."

"YEAH! Way to go girls!" Toph cheered, raising her fist in support, listening to more of the report as she sat on the couch of Lin's, which she felt needed to be replaced with how hard it felt at times.

"It's said that they, along with other allies, had led an undercover operation to track down and find the killer, whose name has not been revealed to the public yet. But sources do say that he was captured outside a hidden brothel near Kyoshi Bridge…"

"Still can't believe they had the balls to even set up shop there." Toph muttered to herself as more of the story came out.

"However, before his capture, the Equalist Ripper did manage to murder Asuki and Vullok Wu-Tung, siblings that have had connections to the brothel, referred to "The Pleasure Factory", and are claimed to run it, along with two of their guards, their names not being given to the public. After killing Asuki, the killer then gave himself up to the police, arrested by Chief Beifong and is currently being brought in to the Republic City Police Department for processing."

Toph gave a deep breath, happy to hear that this psycho has been arrested. "Least Republic City can sleep easy now." She noted.

"We'll keep you all updated as we- Oh, wait… we just were informed that the identity of the man responsible for all these killings has been released…"

This piqued Toph's interest, curious as to who the murderer was as she began to finish the last of the tea in her cup.

"It is being said the killer's name is Hattori Hanzo."

Once her ears heard the name being said, Toph suddenly had herself a spit-take moment, staining Lin's couch with the tea, her pale green eyes going wide as she turned and leaned closer to the radio, turning up the volume key as loud as it could go.

"While we have no other info on the murderer, he does however share the same name as the famous family of swordsmakers from the Fire Nation."

The master Earthbender stayed in place, stricken in shock at the name said to be the killer as the radio announcer kept talking.

"We'll keep you all updated by the hour, until then, we will bring you back to your scheduled programing."

"-We found it, the treasure!"

Toph's eyes remained open wide for what had to be five minutes before turning off the radio and closing them, thoughts going through her head, all due to hearing the killer's name.

* * *

Ever since what happened in front of the Pleasure Factory, the man, his name now fully known as Hattori Hanzo, sat in the back of the Satomobile driven by two police officers, being driven to the RCPD building for processing, not saying a single word.

He kept to himself, keeping his head leaned to the side of the window, looking out at the night sky and the bright lights of the city.

It reminded him of various things, too many to think of properly at the moment, what with the dark spirit currently residing in him talking at no end to its host.

" _Why are you doing this…. Why are you willingly allowing yourself to be taken in by these weaklings?"_

Yet Hattori wasn't answering, trying his best to remember events from years before while ignoring the spirit's ramblings.

" _They are nothing, their bending is nothing compared to the powerful gift I gave to you… see that patch of shadow on your side…"_

For the first time since he allowed himself to be captured, Hattori listened to the words of the spirit, turning only his single gold eye towards the spot he heard the Spirit point out, it was a decent sized spot in between the back seat behind the driver's seat and the fenced off part dividing the prisoners from the cops.

" _... it's nice and big, large enough for you to just tip over and fall, give you the opening to slip away and pop out the shadow of that fat cow pig we're about to pass by…"_

Hattori's eye lifted slightly, seeing the large woman with her kids walking on the sidewalk, just about to pass by her in the car, ever getting so closer…

… only for Hattori to turn his single eye back to the other side of the street, just as the Satomobile passed by the woman and her kids.

" _... or you could just not do what I suggested and stay inside this infernal machine, your choice."_

At this moment, Hattori wasn't in the mood to talk, from the position he was in, he wasn't anywhere near his next target, from what Asuki's file said, he had vanished, hard to keep track of.

But he'll find him, and the other two, OH, he's gonna make that last one worth it, worth the wait.

Yet for now, he needed a breather, the fight with Vullok took alot out of him, and the sudden increase of adrenaline he felt by cutting and slamming Vullok's throat open and beating Asuki to a pulp before chucking her in front of that delivery vehicle was wearing off.

Staying inside a prison cell for a day or two wouldn't hurt.

" _OH, i see… Why didn't you say so, you humans do need your rest. Besides, I know you could always just break out whenever you wanted."_

If there was one thing Hattori HATED about the dark spirit within him, it ALWAYS knew what he was thinking, or what he was thinking before.

But still, he needed it, and it needed him.

" _Will say, that little thing back with Asuki, with her jaw… HEHEHEHEHEH... How delightfully devilish of you, Hattori."_

At hearing that compliment, Hattori couldn't help but give a small smirk to himself and let his own small chuckle.

But his own sick little happy moment was ruined when he heard a slam against the metal fencing of the Satomobile, looking up to see it was done by a fist.

"HEY YOU SICK BASTARD, what are you laughing at?" A loud hoarse voice rang out, belonging to the owner of the fist, a tall black haired man with a grey stripe whose cheeks looked like he was stuffing nuts in them, eyes looking to have been aged and whose owner would want to do anything else than having to transport this killer.

"This joke I heard earlier…" Hattori noted, pretending to pay no mind, looking back outside. "It's called "Your life"."

"HahaHA, won't be joking when you get locked up and sentenced to death, you piece of trash!" The cop yelled back before turning to his partner in the driver's seat, a younger looking one who looked like he just got out of the academy, his more innocent eyes looking like they haven't seen any real crime.

"So, what I was saying before the idiot interrupted, it's still weird to see Chief Beifong like that!"

"Well, she was undercover, couldn't exactly go in there while dressed up like the Chief of police." The younger cop pointed out, eyes looking at the stop light being red.

"I know, but actually showing some skin? Always heard she was a looker when she was younger, but I thought the old bitch was too frigid." The older cop noted, shrugging to himself as the rookie made a turn "But hey, never know. Least she had herself a decent ass-"

Within an instant, he felt a loud bang up against the back of his head, giving it a slight jolt of pain to grunt at before turning and see Hattori groaning, a red mark on his forehead from behind the grate, the older cop angry at this sight.

"AHH! What the- WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?"

Hattori gave him a look of contempt, nudging at the side. "The rookie made a hard turn, hit my head on the grates!"

"Well, you at least deserved some of that!" The older cop yelled out before turning to his partner. "And watch how you turn, has anyone ever taught you to drive before?"

"But I didn't make a hard turn, sir!"

"You didn't?"

"No! I went slow!"

The older cop was about to question it more when they saw the police station, various people crowded around it, including a reporter or two. "Well, we're here…"

Many of the people waited to see the one and only Equalist Ripper outside the station, getting their wish as they saw him get out of the Satomobile, being led through by the two cops into the station.

Soon, the one-eyed man saw inside the station many cops watch him be brought in, including Lin Beifong herself, now back in her uniform, which Hattori was happy to see after earlier. He also stole a glance at the others who were with Lin earlier, in more restrained clothes, including that one Water Tribe woman.

Ever since the day before when they met in that bar, Hattori couldn't shake off her face. Not because he harbored any romantic feelings for her, that ship was sunk after she respectfully made clear why that wouldn't work, but because she resembled someone he once knew.

But then Hattori felt himself walk into a desk, tripping on the ground hard.

"Ah, damnit!" Hattori cried out in pain, must have done that by accident, the dark spirit chuckled a bit at this act of idiocy.

Before Hattori was tempted to shoot back an insult at the spirit as he was lifted back up by the cops, he noticed the photo from his pocket was being picked up by that one older cop who brought him in.

"Well, what do we have here…" The cop began, checking out the contents of the photo, giving a loud chuckle. "Hey, what do you know, you did have two eyes."

Hattori's eye went wide, that bastard had his photo! But he tried to put on a softer voice, if just to get the item back. "Please… can I-"

But the cop wasn't listening, even as Lin and Mako began to make their way over to the scene, giving a chuckle.

"And looky this, look at these two, she's got a nice body to her."

"Please, g-give me that back…" Hattori began asking again, a little louder, but trying to keep calm.

But then the cop came up to the one-eyed man's good ear, mouth whispering. "And I wasn't talking about the Mrs. either."

Hearing the implications was enough for Hattori's eye to go red once more and began struggling against the two cops who held on, trying to keep him in place.

"Motherfu- GIVE THAT BACK, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" He snarled, trying to get the two off.

But the older cop gave a harsh chuckle. "Think I may keep it, might look her up."

That was it for Hattori, who watched the cop pocket the photo and turned his back on him.

"GIVE ME BACK THAT PHOTO!" Hattori screamed, moving hard enough to make one of the cops fall backwards to the ground, distracting the other just enough for Hattori to step down hard on his foot, making him release his grasp.

"Hey, what is-" Lin began to yell out just as Hattori, arms still cuffed from the back, charged at the one cop, who just managed to turn around just in time to see Hattori lower his head and ram it against his chest.

The sudden amount of speed and force against his body sent the officer falling backwards, the back of his head hitting the corner of a desk, causing a violent crack and thud to be heard as Hattori screamed at him as more cops, including Lin and Mako himself, held Hattori at place, getting him down.

But the Equalist Ripper wasn't caring, his eye was focused on the now dead cop, who had others trying to check him out, trying and failing to crawl over to him.

"GIVE IT BACK! GIVE ME BACK MY FUCKING PHOTO! NOW!"

* * *

Korra slumped down on the couch, letting out a huge sigh. Her bones were full of dull aches from everything that went down that day, but she finally had the chance to sit down. The makeup from the disguise had been a pain to get off and she spent half an hour scrubbing in the bathroom. She had no idea how Kyoshi warriors managed it.

She heard the sound of footsteps and she turned to see Asami making her way over in her evening wear. She sat down next to the Avatar with a sigh of her own.

"You alright?" Korra asked, scooting closer to her.

Asami nodded and rested her head on the Avatar's shoulder. "Nice to finally be able to relax."

Korra wrapped her arm around her. The radio played softly in the background, a calming melody, and the open window let in a nice breeze.

"I'm never dressing like a Kyoshi warrior again," she said. "That makeup was a pain in the butt."

The engineer looked up at her face and chuckled. She brought her hand to Korra's chin and rubbed away some of the remnants of the white makeup. The Avatar scrunched her nose as she did so.

"See what I mean?" she said. "I've been trying to get rid of it for hours!"

"It's been thirty minutes."

"That's like hours in Korra time."

Asami kissed her cheek. "I suppose it is."

They leaned against each other and sat like that for a little while, cooling off from the hard night. The familiarity of it made them both forget the stress of it all, until the radio was interrupted by a news announcement.

They only half listened to it, hearing the announcer's praise for the Republic City Chief of Police and the Avatar.

"That's not fair," Korra mumbled. "They should mention Asami Sato too."

The engineer smiled. "Who is she? I only heard she was the brains of the whole thing."

Korra shrugged. "Don't know. But she's also stunningly good-looking, though people are saying her fiance is where it's truly at."

"What?"

The Avatar chuckled and kissed her forehead. "One day they'll stop saying fiance, you know?"

Asami faked a shocked expression. "Oh no, what are you gonna do to me? Where will you hide the body?"

Korra rolled her eyes. "Not what I meant."

"Yeah." She nuzzled closer to Korra. "I know what you meant."

A view of everything that was to come flashed before Korra's eyes. She didn't want to think too far ahead, always aware that both her and Asami didn't exactly have safe jobs and tomorrow was never promised, but she couldn't help it. The feeling that they would one day get married was too overwhelming.

"We might get planning soon," she said. The giddiness escaped out of her in her tone.

Asami noticed and she couldn't help smiling. "Yeah. Cannot wait to see you trip down the aisle probably."

Korra pouted. "I would not trip."

"Well, there goes the bet I made with Mako."

"You what?"

Asami cackled. "I'm only joking." She wrapped her arm around Korra's waist and looked up into her eyes. "Whatever we do, it'll be perfect."

The Avatar smiled. Yes, yes it would.

* * *

Lin and Kya walked back into the Chief's apartment.

"Mother?" Lin called out. Toph didn't answer. She probably went out for something..

The Chief sighed, but she was somewhat relieved. She was so tired, she didn't have the energy to deal with any snarky remarks from her, even though they were successful in bringing Hattori to justice. She looked over at Kya. She was smirking.

"You did good," the healer said. "You played your role well." She looked her up.

Lin rolled her eyes. She was going everything in her power to forget what she had to do hours ago, until Kya decided to bring it up again.

"Thanks... you too. You were a good... pimp I guess," she replied. Kya did look... different, to say the least.

The Chief threw her keys down on the coffee table. The radio was still on and she turned it down. Toph must have forgotten to switch it off when she left.

"Perhaps your costume has inspired your new look," Kya joked.

"Please Kya, I can't do this right now. I don't want to joke about that," she felt terrible, and tired, and just wanted to take a shower.

"Oh, come on Lin. Lighten up. The bad guy's behind bars!"

The Chief closed her eyes and took a deep breath, thinking to herself that it happened at the cost of five people, two of the guy's victims, two random guards and one of her own cops, even if that guy was an asshole.

But she wanted to let this conversation go, so she just walked on towards the bathroom.

"Don't be mad now, I was only joking!" Kya called out, trying to follow her.

"Kya, I said I don't want to talk about that right now. It was a hard day for all of us, especially me."

"Are you mad because you dropped your tough cop act for a moment?" Kya walked up to her, catching her just as she was about to step into the bathroom.

"Yeah? And what's so bad about not wanting people to see me acting like some whore?"

"It's not that, Lin! It's that you always need to act tough around everyone, even your friends. Why would you never let your guard down? For just. One. Measly. Moment?"

Lin's breathing quickened. She didn't want to feel angry, but she couldn't help it. It felt like Kya was being exceptionally unfair to her. "I do let my guard down. Of course I do!"

"Do you? When? When do you? All we ever get to see is tough, mean cop Lin!"

"That's not true! You know that's not true."

"Do I? Well you could have fooled me. Spirits know she sure as fuck isn't around a lot, is she?!"

Hearing Kya say that, let alone putting it in such wording, made Lin realize she might have been right. Moreso, the reason she felt so angry right now was because she didn't want the healer to think like that of her. She was more than "angry cop Lin", and she wanted Kya to see it.

"You want to see her?" she said.

Kya frowned. "Yes! Of course! It's what I've been trying to tell yo-" she was cut off as Lin cupped her face and kissed her. Her eyes widened, taken aback by what was happening. She didn't try to understand it, she just relaxed and kissed her back. This was what she asked for after all.

Lin wasn't going to stop there. She didn't even care about their argument anymore. All she could think about was how much she had actually wanted to do this, but never realized it until this moment. She pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. She was rusty, no doubt, but passion made up for it.

She felt Kya's hand tug at the bottom of her shirt, and she let her as they both made their way towards the shower. It was definitely a good thing her mother wasn't in.

* * *

After all of what happened, the city could sleep peacefully, at least for now as those who helped arrest the Equalist Ripper could relax.

Once they got back to their apartment, Bolin and Opal fell asleep in each other's arms on the couch, radio still on.

To be exact, Opal poured Bolin some of his favorite tea and rubbed his shoulders, trying everything she could to have him ignore what he witnessed at the brothel.

Heck, the Airbender needed something to get her mind off of what she saw. And it worked as both slept without a stir, the program interrupted for the report on Hattori, only to go back to it.

For Mako, after having to file a bunch of paperwork, along with having to see one of his officers get his skull cracked open, he himself needed a drink.

As he was leaving the station, he saw the one female guard from the brothel being let go. He knew from the reports that she didn't engage much illegal activity in the building other than the occasional kicking out of unruly patrons. She was one of the first to get out of the brothel once the ruckus started, which is how she found out about Mako, Bolin and Opal..

Remembering what she called him earlier, Mako decided to not waste this lucky break the spirits were offering and approached the mohawked girl outside the station, offering her to drink with him at a nearby bar, if just to forget the night's events.

The girl gave him a smile and agreed, giving him her name as they began walking.

"It's Thuy. You?"

"Mako."

"Well Mako, let's have you buy me that drink and we'll talk more."

As for the shadowbender, after what happened with him accidentally killing the cop, he was thrown into one of the cells, with two guards keeping watch on him, changing every four hours.

But this didn't bother him one bit, he saw there was a bed, sink and toilet in it, it'll do for the time being, sitting on the bed and lying on it, closing his eye, just managing to block out the spirit mocking him for messing up even after he turned himself in.

Instead, Hattori remembered a few hours before when he made a request for a phone call, which was met with much skepticism, especially from Lin, who was close by just in case he tried something when it was decided to let him use the phone.

To everyone inside the stations surprise, this violent killer didn't have any tricks, seeming to just call his landlord, having to speak loudly due to her hearing issues, telling her that he's gonna be gone much longer than expected, so she'd better get used to Toshi more, asking to speak to him, and saying how much he was a good boy before saying his goodbye and hanging up.

Seeing the confused Chief's reaction, Hattori told her that Toshi was his pet cat owl, saying that she seems like she'd like the animal's company.

Even stranger for those putting him in the files, when Hattori gave his fingerprints, they just came out as black blotches, no identifiable markings, just solid black.

Hattori in the present time just adjusted himself, letting himself drift to sleep, hoping the dreams he had were pleasant, cause he knew sooner or later, the Chief and the Avatar would start questioning him.

* * *

Making her way up the apartment steps, Toph sighed to herself, having just been at that one bar nearby for the past hour or two, having bumped into Mako and a date of his apparently on her way out.

She needed something to drink and nothing Lin had in her place was powerful enough for her.

Ever since she heard the name of the killer announced on the radio, she swore to herself that it couldn't be the same "Hattori Hanzo" she was thinking of.

It couldn't be that one guy who bumped into her in front of the apartment.

Nor the one guy back at the bar that Lin said was the Equalist Ripper.

But it was official, she not only met him before, but she also knew his name.

It had been a long, LONG time since she heard that name.

Just as she was about to open the apartment door, she heard some… odd noises… all connecting to the vibrations being made, that certainly got her attention.

But these weren't anything like someone was fighting, it was like…

Then her pale eyes widened as she sensed where they were coming from and heard the moans.

Two sets of them, one from Lin and the other belonging to… Kya?

At that, Toph silently lowered her head, giving a silent smirk as she tried walking along the apartment without making a sound.

And she managed to, getting on the bed Lin had prepared for her whenever she visited and laid down.

She'd worry about Hattori Hanzo tomorrow, she needed some sleep, hopefully without Lin and Kya keeping her up.

Not that she was surprised, she had a feeling about those two, but she never really had proof until now.


	9. Chapter Eight- Two Sides of The Same Coin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a bit of a Trigger warning due to the amount of violence in this chapter, and some... Moments with a group similar to certain alt-right groups that neither writer endorses... And thinks are a bunch of doucebags. So just a heads up.

"Zhu-Li?" Varrick waltzed into her office while she was on the phone, holding up two shirts, one a soft peachy color and the other a duck egg blue. "Which one looks better?" He held them up for her to see.

She didn't answer, still listening intently to the conversation over the phone, clutching the wire in her hand absentmindedly.

Varrick waited for her to finish with a pout on his face.

"Alright. I'll have it dealt with immediately." She finally put the receiver down.

"Brilliant!" Varrick exclaimed, holding the shirts up again. "Which one?"

Zhu-Li sighed. "Not now, love. Something came up."

Varrick watched as she called her assistant in with the press of a button, realizing something was indeed up. The short, stout man hurried in, fixing his tie hurriedly.

"Get me in touch with Avatar Korra. The Ripper's arrest caused some ripples."

The assistant nodded before rushing out as Varrick thought Bolin would have done what she asked. Then again, the guy was probably tried from the night before considering he helped bring in the Equalist Ripper.

Zhu-Li turned her attention to the new messages coming in for her, before looking up at Varrick. "The blue one, love."

He smiled widely. "I knew it!". Then he gave her a quick hug and nuzzle. "And apologizes for interrupting, my dear."

That earned a smile from his wife, who needed something to perk her up. "It's okay."

* * *

Korra groaned as the message came through to her from the President.

"What's wrong?" Asami asked.

"Just what we needed. A group of idiots decided to rise up in favor of the killer." She rolled her eyes and huffed. "Some anti-Equalist extremists."

"Seriously, first Equalist extremists, and now ANTI-Equalist extremists?"

"Just my luck, huh?"

"Are they violent?"

"They won't be," she said as she threw her shoes on. "I'm gonna help deal with it."

"Do you need any help?"

Korra looked back at Asami. She was sitting on the couch reading through her endless stack of notes, blueprints, and something about a purple crystal. She wondered how she handled being so busy all the time.

"No, don't worry about it, got it all handled." She walked over and placed a kiss on her cheek before heading out.

* * *

"Justice for Hattori! Let him out!"

She had heard the chants before she saw the small gathering of people that had taken to the streets. They held up various banners in support of the killer.

"Death to the Equalists!"

Korra rolled her eyes as she joined the group of police officers standing on the side of the road. The protest had blocked the road and the cops were re-directing traffic.

Things seemed to not be so bad until someone had walked past, shouting at the protesters. "Shut up!" the passerby said. "He's in jail where he belongs!"

That stirred them up too much, yelling back obscenities.

"Shit," Korra muttered. This couldn't end well.

Her eyes widened as one of the extremists sent forward a bolt of fire towards the passerby. She reacted quickly and raised a wall in the ground to shield him.

"Hey!" She yelled, walking towards them. "Stop that!"

"The Avatar!" They yelled, noticing her. "The Avatar supports the Equalists!"

"What? No!"

"Fuck you bitch!"

The chaos only snowballed from there and more of the extremists started using their bending, hitting buildings, trying to strike at either Korra, the passersby or the cops standing on the side.

"That's enough!" She tried to yell, but her voice was drowned out by the crowd's chanting. She had no choice.

She sent forward a gust of wind into the crowd, knocking them off balance as the police officers rushed forward to bind them, but most had started running away. They managed to arrest a few, but the vast majority had gotten away. Korra wasn't sure whether she was supposed to head after them. She already didn't know how the press would deal with the Avatar airbending civilians.

"We'll take these ones to the station, Avatar." One of the cops informed her. "Thank you for your help."

She nodded. She wasn't sure whether she would call that help, but at least the unrest settled for now.

Still, first it was dealing with Amon's followers when she first arrived, now it seemed as though the opposite was starting to begin. And the idea of it was making her shake her head a bit in disgust.

* * *

Hattori was sitting down on his bed, eye closed, focusing on his breathing. It was a trick his grandfather taught him if he needed to focus, while he knew he could get out and resume his quest, something which the damn spirit kept bugging him about, he needed some time to relax.

Suddenly, he was interrupted by the sound of voices coming down the corridor. Whoever they were, they were being too rowdy for his liking. He frowned and opened his single eye, seeing the three men being taken to their cells by the police officers. They struggled endlessly against their cuffs.

"Well, the silence was nice while it lasted..." he muttered.

Then, one of the prisoners looked up and saw him.

"WOAH, it's him!" he yelled. "It's Hattori Hanzo!" his voice bellowed through the jail.

Hattori furrowed his brow further, standing up to understand what the commotion was about.

The man kicked and writhed out of the officer's grip, taking him by surprise, and rushing over to Hattori's cell before he could react.

"Hattori! You don't deserve to be here!"

The Equalist Ripper strolled his way over to the bars, eyeing the crazy supporter. He shoved his face through the bars to try and talk to the killer, who looked at him curiously.

"Well, technically speaking, what I did was against the law, so-"

"But what you did was right!" He shouted as the officer made his way over to him. "We support you, Hattori! Screw those Equalist bastards, everyone of them, they all deserve death, first we need to get you out of he-"

Before he could get another word out, Hattori headbutted him hard square in the face, reveling in the crack his nose made as it caved in.

"ARGHH!" The supporter backed away, clutching his face as blood dripped on the floor.

"Prisoner! That's enough!" The officer scolded him as he grabbed the crazed man, having a look at his injuries but barely being able to see his face past the blood that dripped out of his broken nose.

"Shoulda held onto him better then," Hattori retorted, rubbing his forehead before looking at the other two. "And what the fuck are there idiots going on about?!"

"You really don't know?" The guard asked which the Equalist Ripper shook his head in an honest manner. "Turns out your recent activities have gotten you a whole bunch of fans! They've been chanting and marching outside for your release."

"Yeah, we're on your side! Fuck the Equalists!" The second supporter yelled out.

"Come on, let us break you out and you can lead us!" The third supporter said in a rather hyperactive tone.

Hattori's blood boiled at the sounds of these men. He was in no mood to be idolized, most definitely not for the murders and most certainly not by these jackasses.

"You guys can't be serious, I'm not your leader, so move on," he warned him, keeping his tone calm.

"Come on, you've been doing what we've been wanting to do since they first attacked the Pro-Bending tournament!" That second member shouted back. "You'd be like our Amon, but much-"

But before the member could even finish his statement, with a swift movement of Hattori's hand, he raised a shadow tentacle up from the shadow cast behind his unwanted supporter and wrapped it around his throat. Despite his screams, Hattori dragged him into the shadow and out his own in the cell, smashing him hard against the cell bars.

The foolish inmate groaned with pain as Hattori rushed up to him and too grabbed him by the hair, his golden eye turning that rage filled red once more, the officers staring in disbelief at the sight.

"What was that? WHO THE FUCK DID YOU JUST COMPARE ME TO!?!"

"He-He-" The third supporter tried to speak out, only for Hattori to point at him without even taking his eye off the supporter inside the cell with him.

"No! Unless you want me to shadowbend you a new asshole, shut up! Now…" Hattori hissed, getting closer, his mouth to the gasping supporter's ear.

"WHO. The fuck. Did you just compare me to?..."

"A-A-Amon."

Hattori looked deep into his frightened eyes with his own single one, like he was about to murder him there, but he didn't, just shaking his head.

"NEVER. Compare me to that monster. I am not your leader, i'm not your idol, don't you fucking dare twist my mission to suit your own idiotic self interests…"

Hattori then looked at the other frightened supporter. "I've seen men like you before. Marching in the streets, showing off your pride while saying that your kind is better than the others. And when someone calls you out on your bullshit, you either play the "Woe is me, i'm the victim, not them." card, or just attack them verbally and or physically. Either way, you show what kind of heartless piece of shit you really are on the inside…"

Then the struggling supporter saw Hattori move his free hand, bending another tentacle which tore at his shirt before making it scratch something into his chest, making him give a gasping scream at the pain before the Shadowbender finished and threw him back into his shadow and out the officers, next to the still broken nosed supporter.

Just to put a fine point on it, Hattori got down on one knee and looked down from inside his cell at the Equalist symbol he carved into the guy's chest.

"You're no better than the Equalist's you hate, all of you. Consider that a message to the idiots on the streets."

With that, Hattori went back to his bed, got back to sitting on it and resumed his meditation, feeling his eye go back to it's golden color.

"Get a medic down here, NOW!" He heard the officer shout, but by this point he was done caring, even as the dark spirit in him laughed at the sight.

" _Oh… I think they'll get the message alright…"_

* * *

Lin hummed as she metal bent her police suit around her. It was nearly time to interrogate the killer, but she wasn't worried about it anymore. For once since this whole thing started she felt... happy?

"There you are," Toph said, coming out of the kitchen with a mug of tea in her hand. "Been meaning to talk to you." It was unusual for her to beat around the bush. If the Chief hadn't been so carelessly joyful she might have picked up on it.

Lin straightened her shoulders, checking her uniform was on right one last time. "Can it wait? I'm on my way to the station now."

Toph sipped her drink. "Well can't you spare a minute?"

Her mother wasn't going to ruin her good mood. "Alright. But don't waffle, I've really got to get to the interrogation."

That shouldn't have taken her by surprise, but she hesitated a little. "You're interrogating him today?"

Lin frowned at the tone of her voice. Why did it matter so much to her? "Yeah. Wouldn't I just love to know what goes on in that monster's sick head." Her sarcastic tone was bitter, before she took a deep breath and calmed down. Everything was fine, she was fine. Last night with Kya made her feel fine.

Toph considered that statement for a while. "Yeah, I suppose he is a killer isn't he?"

"Mother, have you been paying attention? I told you I witnessed him saw open the throat of a guy three times larger than him into broken glass," She squinted at her. "Are you feeling alright?"

Toph waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah yeah. Don't worry about it." Lin was right. They needed to find out what Hattori's motives had been, sick or not. As much as Toph hated equalists too and what they stood for, that was no way to deal with them. Perhaps he really was a monster, but what would drive him to go that far? She shook that thought away. "You go ahead then. Don't want you to be late."

The chief was glad that conversation didn't last long. She grabbed her keys from the coffee table before turning to look at her mother one last time. Toph seemed deep in thought, sipping quietly at her tea, her own heartbeat seeming off.

Lin remembered the reason she interrupted her in the first place and curiosity got the better of her. "What did you want to tell me?"

She looked up from her mug but didn't answer straight away. "Oh. Nothing. Just if we had any bread left."

"There should be some left on the counter. I'll pick more up on the way back anyway."

"Thank you," she said, before heading back to the kitchen.

That was strange.

As the Chief stepped out of the apartment and headed down the stairs, she carried on humming to herself.

Toph waited till she felt her daughter was far enough away before having to take a deep breath, having to keep her own heartbeat in check, if slipping for a second.

She realized who this Hattori Hanzo was, and it had kept her up the night before.

* * *

Inside his office, which for Dr. Nishi, was the room in the morgue where the bodies are held on ice until they had to be given an autopsy or be brought out to be buried, he was writing down some important notes about the most recent corpse to be brought in.

He knew this guy, always saw him stuffing pastries into his mouth hole at his desk and downing it with whatever swill he had to drink whenever he had to come into the police station to give some important info to the Chief.

The cop also liked to say things behind a lot of people's back, including Nishi himself, saying he preferred the company of the dead over the living, saying something along the lines of "They never move with him."

The bastard.

Nishi also knew of some activities that the cop thought he shared in private with other unsavory officers, some of which the guy should have been arrested for, just for the crime of even thinking of them.

The doctor shed no tears when news came of the Equalist Ripper accidentally causing his death, by knocking him backwards, back of the head first onto the corner of a wooden desk. Pretty sure no one else did either.

He heard reports state that this cop was just alive for at least a minute before he passed.

But as science has shown, it's that the brain, after the heart stops beating, keeps functioning for seven minutes before it completely stops.

So it gave Nishi some form of… happiness perhaps, to know that the pig's brain, for how small it had to be, was able to register that he was gonna die and there was nothing it can do but realize he was possibly going to the part of the spirit world where men like him go.

Still, job is a job, and his job was his life, so Nishi was in charge of checking out the body when he noticed something inside the front pants pocket of the cop, checking it out after adjusting his glasses.

What it showed piqued his interest, and he was sure it would too for two other people, grabbing a phone and turning the dial multiple times, waiting for someone to pick up until he got a voice on the line.

"Hello, it's Dr. Nishi down in the morgue, can you direct me to Detective Mako?"

A few minutes later, Mako entered the morgue, seeing Nishi sitting next to the slab where the cop laid, though the doctor noticed a head missing.

"Chief Beifong's busy at the moment having to interrogate Hanzo, that and there's still the Anti-Equalist Movement happening on the streets." Mako explained as Nishi gave a rather amused chuckle hearing it.

"Ah, so in this case, the roles have reversed. Human nature is quite a puzzle, ain't it?"

That observation weirded out the Firebender, who noted the dead cop, pointing at him, changing the topic.

"Right. So what about Kogua? His death seemed pretty cut and dry."

"Oh, it is, quite disappointing really." Nishi agreed, rather unamused by the manner of death, pulling the sheet over the body, so he wouldn't have to look at it. "Though if our Ripper didn't kill him by accident, a clogged up heart would have done the trick within a few months. But that's not why you're here."

Then the doctor took the photo from the metal side table and gave it to Mako, who took it in hand. "Seems the un-dearly departed took himself a souvenir from Mr. Hattori Hanzo, who I assume wasn't happy and what obviously happened happened."

Mako looked at the photo, it was an old one, had to be maybe around five years old judging by the wear and tear, showing off three people posing for a photo while in what looked like a beach house at Ember Island, it was a family of three.

There was a woman in her forties, certainly looking to be from the Southern Water Tribe judging by the hair style, skin tone and necklace, though her clothes looked like she'd been living in Republic City for a while.

She was kneeling next to and hugging a young girl in a summer green dress, certainly had her mother's brown hair color, though more of a bowl cut than her the woman's long wavy hair and wore sandals.

But unlike her mother, her skin tone was lighter and her eyes, they certainly caught Mako's attention as they were golden, like the man in the photo hugging the both of them, dressed very similar to…

"Wait, is that who I think it is?" Mako asked Nishi, the detective's eyes widening as he realized who was in the photo.

"Yep, back when the Equalist Ripper still had both eyes and ears." The doctor answered as Mako's mind raced, piecing together the details as to why he was doing this, despite some details eluding him.

But then something else in the photo got his attention…

Something he had to tell Lin.

* * *

"Hey, Ripper, up and at 'em!"

That broke the mediation Hattori was under, opening his eye enough to peak at the two guards in front of his cell, metal in hand.

Despite the dark spirit laughing at him for following such an order, the one-eyed man got off his bed, standing close to the cell door, looking at the two.

"You two know I DO have a name, right?"

"We know, and we kind of don't care." The other guard noted, having kept watch of the killer for the last four hours, bored out of her skull. "Hold your hands out."

Hattori did what he was told, before feeling the metal cuffs get bended around his wrists, tugging at them a bit when they settled.

"Never will get used to that."

Then the gold eyed man looked back at the guards. "So what now?"

"Follow us and you'll find out." The male guard said as both he and the other guard led Hattori through the halls of the jailhouse.

As they walked, the Equalist Ripper didn't pay much attention to the other prisoners calling him out, either Equalist Sympathizers throwing vulgarity filled threats or Benders voicing their also vulgarity filled approval.

_"Look at these sacks of fecal… Two sides of the coin, either you're on their side or against them… Rather pathetic that they don't realize how alike they are."_

Of course, Hattori didn't want to give the spirit of gratification of being right, so he kept quiet, but it's next words did get his attention a bit.

_"... And it's all because of you."_

That just made Hattori wish in his head that the spirit had a physical form, just so he could smack it in it's face.

_"Ah-Ba-Bah, nice try Hattori. Remember, I'm in your mind, every thought that rings in your… damaged head, I know within an instant."_

Hattori gave a slight grimace at that fact, forgetting about that detail as the dark spirit kept talking.

_"And trust me. You wouldn't even have enough time to lift up your hand before I'd be sipping blood from your skull if I had physical form."_

That got Hattori's attention, what did it mean by "Physical form"?

_"Hey, Hattori, focus!"_

"We're here!"

Those words from one of the guards snapped Hattori out of his thoughts as he saw a door leading to a room, a window looking into it, a table and two seats.

"Enter, sit down and wait. Remember, no funny tricks." The female guard ordered, to which the Equalist Ripper complied, entering the room and sitting down on a chair, hands still cuffed.

Looking around, the room seemed bare. But then, he noticed the window was mirrored in this part of the room. Two way mirror…

Oh, son of a bitch, Hattori realized to himself, he was gonna get interrogated.

Then as if on cue, the door opened and so entered Chief Lin Beifong, who had a notepad and pencil, sitting across from the Equalist Ripper, a stern and focused look on her face.

"Hello Hattori Hanzo, let's you and me talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say me and Coniine love writing Dr. Nishi, considering that he's pretty much Jeffrey Combs as Dr. Herbert West from "Re-Animator" in the Avatar universe. Heck, not only is "Nishi" Japanese for "West", but if this ever was done up in animated form (One could wish), Combs would be the first choice to voice the character.
> 
> As for next chapter... oh, just wait.


	10. Chapter Nine- Oh No...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a bit of a Trigger warning due to dialog referencing graphic violence, similarities to supremacist groups, the death of a child and PTSD. So just a heads up.

Hattori Hanzo sighed, looking at Chief Lin Beifong across the table, who wanted info out of him. "Well, sister, can't say I didn't expect this to happen at some point."

Lin frowned. "Let's get one thing straight before we start. You don't get to call me sister. I'm Chief Beifong to you."

"If you say so..." he was about to call her the same thing again, but stopped himself just in time. Perhaps it was best to cooperate for now. "... Chief Beifong."

"Alright then, Mr Hanzo. Straight to business." She sat down opposite him. "Tell me your full name, and how have you come to bend shadows?" She opened up her notepad to take notes as they talked.

"Right, my name is Hattori Hanzo the VIII. And shadowbending, well, not so easy to learn compared to your typical bending, let alone metal bending. As far as I know, no one has mastered it on their own before." He leaned back in his seat, his single gold eye looking at Lin's light green. "Being a shadowbender isn't something you're born as, no, it's something you have to pay for."

Lin squinted. She was already sceptical of what he was saying, but she had to press on anyway. "So tell me what price that was?"

"If I wanted to explain that to you, we'd have to go back five years, before... well... I became so pretty." He flashed Lin a smile, turning his head so she could better see the damaged side of his face, showing the large gap that looked like the wound hadn't healed. She was definitely curious how that happened. "But before I do, would you please undo these cuffs?" he held his hands out to Lin. "I have no intention of any rash decisions. I just want to feel more comfortable."

Lin's knee jerk reaction was clear. "We don't remove cuffs from violent prisoners. You get to keep yours."

Hattori was disappointed. "Violent?" He took a deep breath. "I suppose I don't blame you for thinking of me as some kind of... monster, perhaps. But remember, you don't know me sister, and you want me to talk, don't you?"

The Chief's brows furrowed as he called her sister again, but he was making a valid point. She didn't want him to refuse questioning. "I will do you this one favor," she said. "Any sudden movements and you're cuffed and back in your cell, is that clear?"

Hattori smiled and nodded.

Lin sighed and undid his bindings.

"Much better," he rotated his wrists around, stretching them out. "Where were we?"

"Focus, Mr. Hanzo." Lin was getting impatient. "You were telling me about your shadowbending."

"Ah," he chuckled. "Yes, well, years ago I lived a happy life with my wife and daughter as a non-bender. A simple life. My wife's name was Ula and my daughter..." he sighed and closed his eye as he remembered his little girl, then the girl back at Asuki's brothel he met. Even from across the table Lin could tell he was remembering something.

"Her name was Karai. So young and full of life. She loved getting Toshi for her fifth birthday." He paused for a moment, as though those days flashed before his eye.

"That's very touching, but get to the point."

Hattori brought his attention back to the Chief. "Then, sister, I caught word of the Equalist movement." His sad look turned to anger. "And like so many of those damned fools, I believed every word that fraud Amon said. The bastard, he was a good for nothing, lying masked sack of-"

"Alright, Hanzo, settle down."

Hattori calmed himself again. "I'm sorry. So, as you can guess, I became an Equalist. Hated the benders around me, mindlessly, believed everything I heard as the truth." He shook his head. "And then the unthinkable happened. My own daughter…"

Lin could see where this was going, but she was losing her patience. This had nothing to do with shadowbending. "Alright, you're gonna get to the point and you're gonna get to it now."

At this Hattori slammed his fist on the table, his eye turning red in anger. "Have some fucking compassion! You don't know what it feels like! I would have thought you, of all people, would try to understand me!"

The Chief was taken aback. Of all people? What? "I told you no sudden movements. Your cuffs are going back on."

"No! No…" he held his hands up in defeat, his eye turning back to gold, realizing he made a mistake. "Sorry just… let me finish. Please."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Go on."

He nodded his head, silently thanking her. "My own daughter… turns out she was an earthbender. I saw her twirl little pebbles around in her hands… making sand castles… all the while laughing and giggling. It was like watching pure happiness." Hattori shook his head, something coming to mind, an odd smile on his face. "Guess you can say the family trait skipped a generation."

Then the look on his face soured once more, knowing what was next.

"A joy that was too young to have been tainted by the cruelty in this world." He said before taking a deep breath, holding his head up with his hand, elbow on the desk as he continued. "I realized I was so wrong, so foolish. I also remembered what the Equalists would do if one of their followers had a bender for a child." The memories coming back to mind started making things harder for Hattori to continue, but he pushed through.

"I tried everything to keep Karai in hiding, to keep her and Ula safe, but of course the bastards just had to find out. One day, I walked down to the docks near the Avatar statue, asked by a buddy of mine who was also an Equalist to meet up with some comrades there, keep up appearences…."

Hattori then turned his head, it clear the memories were taking the biggest toll on him, judging by his eye tearing up. "Turns out it was a trap… it was a damn trap…"

Seeing his eye tear up a bit took Lin by surprise. She would never have guessed the ruthless Equalist Ripper could get emotional, but then again we all have someone we love, or loved. If this was an act, it was a damn good one.

"They're dead, sister. They're both dead because of me." He cast his glance down onto the table. His voice had started shaking, sobs forming before he began whispering to himself. "Oh spirits, I can't do this."

Lin had become concerned he wouldn't be able to carry on.

"Are you alright, Hattori?" She looked at the glass of water on the table. "Do you need a drink maybe?" She was the Chief of Police, not a therapist.

Without warning, Hattori raised his head again, looking straight up at Lin.

_"That would be nice, yes."_

The Chief flinched, seeing his golden eye had changed color once more, but now, it was bright scarlet. It looked bloodshot, and its edges had gone yellow. _"Hattori may not be fit to tell you the rest of the story,"_ he spoke, his voice deeper and unnervingly low. Something big had changed about him, and Lin was struggling to understand it. _"I'll carry it on for him."_

She stared wide-eyed at the man. "Hattori Hanzo?" But the shadowbender shook his head, like he was now a different person. "If… you're not Hattori, then what in the name of the Avatar are you?"

He gave her a wicked smile, as if humored. _"Names are arbitrary, but they are important for your kind. I myself go by many, all of which were given by other humans. But you may call me Sha-Garou, a Shadow Spirit… currently residing in our friend's body."_ Then the dark spirit who had been inside Hattori held his hands out together on the table, tilting his head. _"Now if I may, Hattori's story?"_

Lin was still processing it. A spirit? Living in Hattori's body? Was this like Tokuga all over again? It couldn't be, the effects didn't look that obvious, aside from the horrible eye and voice. And it was obvious that Hattori wasn't in control.

Sha-Garou didn't wait for her answer. _"The poor man tried to defend himself against the Equalists. He was a damn good fighter too, all the Hanzo's in the world were born warriors, along with being master sword makers. But there were too many of them and Hattori was beaten to a pulp before his own family, who never knew the true reason why they were targeted in the first place."_

The spirit inside Hattori leaned back in his chair, to look at the feet it was in control of, wiggling them. _"His most prized possession, created by the grandfather who raised him, the seventh man to carry the name, the katana that you found in Jai-Khu's apartment, was what he carried to his demise."_ Then the spirit leaned again, but closer to Lin, who listened to every detail.

" _In trying to fight off his attackers, one misplaced blow was all it took."_ The spirit reveled in seeing Lin's shock, raising only one finger. _"Hattori made a swift thrust of that katana towards the Equalist he considered his best friend, but the man dodged it…"_ Then the spirit was rose up another finger.

" _Leaving only Ula and Karai in the blade's path."_

Lin knew what the spirit was saying, it horrified her. When Hattori said they were dead because of him, it wasn't because someone murdered them and he couldn't prevent it, but because _he_ accidentally killed them himself.

Sha-Garou knew what Lin's face was saying, giving a slight soleum nod that seemed like it felt bad for it's vessel. _"Death was instant for the daughter, but for the wife, she took a little longer, Hattori begging and crying for her to stay alive... even when she passed away in his arms."_

The dark spirit in Hattori then took the glass of water in hand and drank some of it, before resuming. _"Throughout my entire existence, I've seen anger, hate and rage from many, coming from all different sources. But what came out of Hattori at that moment was pure, one hundred percent, unadulterated rage, screaming and snarling at those eight that remained, vowing that he wouldn't stop until they were all dead by his hands."_

Lin gulped. The story was terrible enough as it was but the spirit's sinister voice made it that much more unnerving.

" _That is until they went ahead and stabbed him with his own sword."_ The spirit noted, lifting up Hattori's jacket and shirt to show a large scar on his stomach, letting out a chuckle. _"I would say it's a shame but..."_ he gestured towards the wound as he lowered the clothing as Lin watched. _"Look at him now."_

"Hattori… died?"

This question earned a rather surprised laugh from Sha-Garou, which wouldn't be so frightening if not for the fact that instead of it's ominous voice… _it was that of a young girl laughing._

" _Of course, i mean…"_ The spirit spoke once more in it's ominous voice, as if the previous sounds of laughter was cut off without a beat, pointing at the missing eye and ear. _"Do you really think someone would be walking around alive with a large chunk of his head missing?"_

Then in a moment of unexpected body horror, Sha-Garou moved his fingers between Hattori's headwound, making sure a disgusted Lin got a good look. _"That you can blame on those eight Equalists trying to light the bodies ablaze to get rid of evidence, but they accidentally ignited a gas can, resulting in an explosion. Shrapnel collided into Hattori's face, sealing his fate, as his body as thrown right into the bay."_ Then as if it remembered something, Sha-Garou resumed the story. _"And then, I brought him back. He swore to have his revenge, after all."_

The Chief didn't know what to believe. "That's impossible," she said.

Sha-Garou tilted his head, that wicked smile widening. _"And yet here he is, five years later, ripping and tearing those who ruined his life apart."_ His snigger was devilish and it sent a chill down Lin's spine. _"You know, you might have enjoyed the company of Karai. You two would have gotten along so well, could have taught her some neat tricks."_

"You know nothing about me."

The spirit leaned forward across the table. _"Oh, but I do. Living in the shadows has its perks."_ His grin showed Hattori's teeth. _"For starters, I know of your past issues with mommy and your sister."_ The spirit then shrugged, deciding that wasn't enough. _"But if you want something more recent, I am well aware about you and your beloved Water Tribe mistress. What was her name again? Kya?"_

Lin's face burned with fury. In an instant, she shot up from her chair and grabbed the man the spirit was inhabiting by its collar. "Don't talk about her, you filthy monster!"

Sha-Garou calmly wiped away some ruffled hair in front of his eye. _"No need to get angry. I only know your deepest secrets."_

In a fit of rage, Lin struck his smug grin with her fist. A trickle of blood dripped down from his nose but he just chuckled.

" _Oohh, temper… temper…"_

The Chief realized what she'd done and let go of him, letting him slump back into his chair. Her breathing quickened.

" _Few boos from the gallery I see, it's okay Ms. Beifong, I understand. We all have secrets. Some, no matter how hard we try and hide, will always come out to the light. Your mother knows this, does she not?"_

The spirit mentioning her mother got her the most curious, looking deep into its eye. "What on earth are you talking about? Why are you bringing my mother into this?!"

The spirit said nothing. It just grinned wider, before his head drooped down and Hattori came back with a groan, his golden eye back to normal.

"Eerh, shit…" he moaned. He brought his hand up to his face and touched the blood dripping onto his lips, then his nose which stun when he touched it. "AAHHH… Wha-What the fuck?"

He then looked up at Lin, confused as ever. "Why is my nose bleeding and in pain?!"

Seeing the dumbfounded look on Hattori's face caught Lin offguard herself, who looked in disbelief.

"Y-You don't remember?"

"I remember you kept asking me questions, then suddenly my nose is in absolute pain, which by the way, OWW!"

Hattori then stood and walked over to the mirror, looking at his nose, seeing how it was before turning to Lin, dumbfounded.

"Did you do this?"

"You know what? Yes." Lin said in a matter of fact blunt manner, turning around so the killer couldn't see the smug look on her face. "Because your friend Sha-Garou, that damn spirit in you thought it was being clever bringing up private, personal matters of mine."

"OH, that's nice…" Hattori began, trying to wipe the blood from his nose on his sleeve, feeling rather offended at what happened as he sat down. "You just met him and he tells you his name, I've known him longer and all I get is "Just a helpful friend", that's perfect!" He kept raving before pointing at Lin. "And what the fuck is wrong with you?! You're still hitting MY NOSE, not his!"

Having enough of this, Lin turned back around, making her way over to the Shadowbender, having it up to here with his complaining.

"Says the violent psychopath who allowed some spirit to inhabit your corpse, just to get revenge on a bunch of asshole Equalists WHO MADE YOU ACCIDENTLY MURDER YOUR WIFE AND DAUGHTER!"

For once, the man with one golden eye has nothing to say, he knew Sha-Garou would finish the story he was telling, including that certain development. But the way Lin said it, in that straightforward manner…

It struck Hattori, for more reasons he'd rather not share with the Chief at the moment, but… it made him remember what he had done, the pain and suffering, not just in present time, but also during the time in the spirit world where people like him went.

Surrounded by nothing but flames, he saw all sorts of images in them of all the suffering he caused, both directly and indirectly.

Including one that Hattori saw the most among those flames. Something which Sha-Garou wasn't daring to interrupt.

Breaking his thoughts, Hattori's eye shone red once more, but it was calmer, sadder, barely lit, matching his feelings at the moment, nodding before looking up at Lin's stern face which hadn't broken contact.

"... can't say you're wrong about that, sister." The Shadowbender said in a small tone, before getting up from his seat.

"I'd like to go back to my cell, if you wouldn't mind."

Lin didn't need Seismic Sensing to know she struck a nerve, not getting the vengeful wrath of a killer, but rather a sad broken man who caused himself to lose everything except the drive to make things right, no matter what the cost.

But keeping the stoic look in her eyes, the Chief nodded, giving the signal for the other cops to come in and escort Hattori out. Yet before he exited, Hattori stopped and turned around at Lin, looking into her light green eyes with his single gold one.

"If you want more info out of me, just give me a night's sleep and I'll talk sister… and please keep those asshole Anti-Equalist's out of my sight, fucking hate those guys."

With that, Hattori was led out, leaving Lin alone in the room for a few minutes, only in her thoughts over what she learned, what she had to tell Korra and what they had to do to perhaps keep Hattori in prison and never escape, while thinking about what Sha-Garou told her, bringing up her mother, it just didn't sit right.

"Chief..." A familiar voice rang out from the other room, getting Lin's attention, who looked and saw Mako approaching her, having just got in after Hattori took back control, but waited to give the Chief her space.

"Sorry kid, missed the show. Turns out Korra was right, this is spirit based and we're gonna need her help."

"Okay, good, fill me in, but first, I have something you need to see." The Firebender said, showing that in his hand was a photo.

"Hey, wasn't Hanzo screaming about a photo?" The Chief asked, remembering the events the night before as Mako nodded.

"Yeah, this one."

Lin took a look at the photograph, seeing the woman and young girl, these two must have been Ula and Karai.

And there was Hattori with them, certainly years before since he still had both his eyes and ears, looking to be so happy with his family, his wife from the Southern Water Tribe, which would explain his one-time attraction to Kya, both women did share a bit of resemblance to each other. And his daughter, who certainly looked like her parents, especially having Hattori's eye color.

"This is Ula and Karai." Lin pointed out to Mako, who looked at the photo. "They were his wife and daughter. She has Hattori's eyes."

"Lin, look closer at _his_ _eyes._ " Mako interrupted, moving his finger at where the shadowbender's eyes were. "Notice anything off?"

Taking a closer look, Lin then froze in place, her own eyes widened looking at them.

His left eye was gold, that she already knew for sure. But…

His right eye, it was a different color. Not something entirely unknown, there has been some reported cases of that happening, but it was the color that tipped her off.

This eye was pale green, but not just any kind of pale green.

It was glazed over, like he was… blind in one eye.

A fact that crept on Lin's mind more than it did Mako as she felt two words fall out of her mouth like weights, remembering that certain nickname he kept calling her.

"... oh _no_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... yeah... that's a ending of a chapter.
> 
> SO, ignoring that, another short chapter, but mainly cause it's dialog focused.
> 
> Like i mentioned, this scene (And more to come of the integrations) is actually inspired by scenes from "The Exorcist III", especially the idea of two different characters in the same body talking to Lin. Again, for some fantasy casting which we both agreed worked, when me and countconiine were writing Hattori, we always had in mind Brad Dourif (who you all know as Chucky from the "Child's Play" films) voicing both him AND Sha-Garou The Shadow Spirit at the same time. His natural speaking voice would be Hattori's while his voice at a deeper and lower pitch would be Sha-Garou's, like his role in "Exorcist III" where he played The Gemini Killer personality in the film. Seriously, watch his scenes from the film on Youtube, then read Hattori and Sha-Garou's dialog in his voices, it works perfectly.


	11. Chapter Ten- The Truth Comes Out of The Shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a bit of a Trigger warning due to the amount of violence in this chapter, dialog relating to hate groups, hateful speech and forced sexual assault and slavery. So just a heads up.

The walk back to his cell seemed longer for Hattori Hanzo this time around than when he was brought over to the interrogation room.

There was more he had to share with Lin and since he knew Sha-Garou made itself known, that'd mean Avatar Korra would get involved, and that would raise problems for his plans.

" _Don't worry, she won't get in the way, my kind has dealt with her past lives before, experienced one or two myself…. Course I lost, but third time's a charm..."_

Hattori listened to the voice in his head, curious and wondering what it meant, and the spirit knew that's what he was thinking, but chose to leave it be.

The One-Eyed man then noticed the cells he passed by looking more filled with inmates than earlier, how many of these idiots who thought of him as some leader were there?

But when he got close to his cell, he saw there was another in there, some short black haired guy, certainly younger, like in his 20's, one claiming to have his rights.

But then the kid's attention turned to him and gave a wide smile.

That made Hattori realize what this guy was in for.

"Oh, son of a-"

"WOW! Hattori Hanzo, big fan of your work!" The younger guy said, eyes wide as he rubbed his hands together. "Looks like we're cellmates!"

Hattori could hear Sha-Garou laughing its… head, mouth, whatever off at this turn of events and he wasn't happy with that nor with who was in his cell.

"No, no, what did I just ask from you guys?!" Hattori asked, looking at the guards. "I told you to keep these anti-Equalist crazies out of my sight!" Then he pointed at the inmate in his cell. "So I ask, why is this zebra donkey asshole in my cell?!"

"Wait, YOU'RE saying this guy is crazy?" One guard asked which Hattori pointed his finger at him without even looking.

"Not the point!"

"Hey, come on, you're a big deal to us! You're showing us that we're not gonna take the hate those Equalist fuckers try to instill in people!"

Hearing the spiel, the Shadowbender turned and approached the inmate, about to teach him a lesson. "You shut your fucking mouth, I am not in the mood to-"

"HEY, inmates, cut it out!" The female guard who had brought him into the interrogation room said as more of the guards beginning to make their way near the cell. "Look Mr. Hanzo, you've made your opinion on these Anti-Equalist extremists quite clear. But unfortunately, with current events, happening due to you by the way, more arrests and incarcerations have been happening and our cells are getting filled to the brim…"

Hattori listened as his cell door was opened.

"So for now, we're gonna have to ask that you please deal with him for the time being."

Taking the news in mind, the killer sighed, allowing himself to be uncuffed and enter the cell, looking at the young inmate, pointing at him as the guards closed the cell door and left them be.

"I'm already dealing with enough shit as it is, want me to play nice?"

The young inmate nodded his head rapidly, just happy to be in there with his so-called idol. "Yeah, course!"

"Then leave me alone, don't even think of trying to talk to me, alright?"

With that, Hattori went over to his bed and laid down, closing his eye, he needed to think things over, like telling Lin about-

"Hey, Mr. Hanzo."

"Are you serious?" Hattori groaned out, not even opening his eye, trying to ignore the inmate, rolling over. "Not even twenty seconds!"

"No, no, sorry, just… what you've been doing, it's been-"

"Look kid…" Hattori sighed, looking into the young inmate's brown eyes. "I'm fully well aware of what you're about to say and I'll stop you here and now. Have my targets been Equalists? Yes. Did Equalists ruin my life? Yes. But this, what I'm doing, this isn't me trying to start my own revolution-"

"But it is! You may not have planned it, but it's happening!" Hattori looked at the naive idiot, listening to him prattle on. "Yeah, Avatar Korra may have ended Amon's reign, but his influence, his sickness, still spread all over the city, the four nations, and it has to be stopped, I've done my part! Even if it landed me in jail, that's fine."

"Really, well pray tell what you did for your part?" Hattori asked, deciding to humor him, see what he could pick apart.

"Set ablaze some Equalist scum's shop, made his family watch it burn." The inmate smirked with a rather sick smile, something which Hattori wasn't amused by.

"Did you have proof they were Equalists? Like, actual proof?"

"No, but come on, it's not hard to spot one."

" _Wow, our 'genius' really has no idea, huh?"_

Hattori gave a deep breath, internally agreeing with Sha-Garou.

"Can tell you're a real braintrust." Hattori snarked, not even hiding his disdain for the guy as he got up and moved to the sink, turning it on and lowering his head to put his lips against the pouring water, which wasn't the best tasting, but he needed a drink.

"Hey, it doesn't matter, it was beautiful to watch." The inmate began, getting into a rant. "I mean, as beautiful as their Equalist bitch of a daughter."

That stopped Hattori in place, not moving, but awaiting the next words out of this idiot's mouth.

"I mean, had her mommy, daddy and little brother at firepoint, gave 'em a show as she struggled, maybe never even had a bender before. Probably just some Equalist dick."

The Shadowbender kept listening, listening to this… molester actually bragged about what he had done? To his face!

Something which Sha-Garou knew wasn't going to end well.

" _... I'll just leave you be for now."_

"I mean, too bad the fun had to stop when the cops interrupted, telling you those Equalists must have gotten in their pockets, especially that Lin Beifong-"

And that was enough for Hattori, who quickly rushed over as fast as he could and drove his fist into the inmates face, driving him to the ground.

"OW! AH! What the?!" Said inmates blurted out, feeling his face before feeling something else get on top of him, looking up and seeing the lights in the cell be covered in living shadows, leaving just an evil red eye in the darkness right above him. "No, please, DON'T!"

The guards had heard the ruckus, a whole bunch prepared to go in to separate the two as they heard the sounds of flesh being hit by something hard repeatedly.

But by the time they got to the cells… no one was in it, it was like both Hattori and the inmate vanished, but the lights showed was a large bloodstain pooled on the ground… with some broken teeth among it.

"Where did they go?!" One guard asked, rather freaked out.

"I'm here…" a voice rang out seemingly from all over, like from the shadows themselves, only for the guards to see the Equalist Ripper stroll out of the shadows, taking deep breaths and sitting back on his bed, his fists stained in blood as he laid back down.

"Wh-Where's the other guy, the inmate?"

Hattori looked up at the ceiling, not bothered. "Give him a second…"

Just then, to the absolute shock and disgust of the guards, a large geyser of blood erupted from the shadows, right at the bars and guards who tried avoiding the splash zone. Hattori himself didn't even blink at the sight as it stopped, among the large amount of blood were some bones and a skull, along with some bloodstained articles of clothing, the same the inmate wore.

"There he is."

* * *

Lin walked through the door, dropping her keys onto the coffee table as always. She was deep in thought over what Hattori said, and over the photo Mako showed her. Her thoughts were racing too fast for her liking, so she headed into the kitchen for something to drink.

"Lin?" Toph called out. "That you?"

"Yes, mother. I'm in the kitchen."

She heard Toph walking up behind her. "Did you get the bread?"

Lin swore under her breath. "No. Sorry, I forgot."

"Eh, it's fine." She heard Lin fix herself a cup of tea. "You know sharing is caring, right?"

The Chief rolled her eyes. "Since when do you drink so much tea anyway?"

"Since when do you?" Toph chuckled to herself. "Must have gotten it from Kya."

Lin froze for a moment. She had no response to that. She gave in and made Toph a cup too.

The wind rattled the window and she looked out at the busy street as the water boiled. With Hattori behind bars, people were regaining their confidence in going out again. It was moments like these that should have made her proud to be an officer, but all she could do was worry. Hattori's tragic story was one thing, but he also wasn't done having his revenge.

"How did the interrogation go?" Toph asked.

Lin nearly jumped, having been so preoccupied in her thoughts. "It was interesting, to say the least," she said. She poured the hot water into their cups. "Unexpected is probably the word."

Toph took her mug from Lin and smelled the sweet aroma coming from the tea for a few moments. "What did he say?"

The Chief noticed her mother's uneasiness. It wasn't comforting. "He killed his wife and daughter." She saw her mother tense up, clutching her cup. "It was an accident, though. He was devastated by it." Toph seemed to relax a little. "He used to be an Equalist. Then his daughter turned out to be an earthbender. And... well." She took a sip of her tea. Toph got the gist.

"That's it? A tragic backstory." She chuckled. "Back in my day those wouldn't fly with our police."

"He also apparently died."

"What?"

Lin nodded. "Yeah. Brought back by some shadow spirit so he could have his revenge. That explains his shadowbending. And that ugly face."

"That's bullshit."

"I talked to him, mother. To the spirit." She took a sip of her drink. "It convinced me. He just... didn't sound human."

Toph considered it for a moment. She didn't believe it possible, but then again, what did she know about dark spirits?

"There was something else too." The Chief continued.

Toph held her breath.

"He kept calling me sister," Lin scoffed. "Maybe he hit his head on the way to the station or was just being a smartass." She watched for her mother's reaction, but her face was stoic.

"I've seen crazier," she said.

"I'm sure you did." Lin decided to drop it for now. She was somewhat afraid of what she might find out.

She opened the cupboard to see if there were any crackers left. She was hungry, but not in the mood to cook anything. She grabbed an open packet, and poured out a few into her hand.

Toph looked like she was about to say something.

"What?" Lin said, stuffing a cracker into her mouth.

"I think I should go talk to him myself."

She frowned. "Why?"

"Well you know. I just want to make sure you rookie cops are doing a good job."

The Chief chewed on another cracker. Something was off. "Alright. Whatever you say, mother."

"Lin?" Kya poked her head around the kitchen door. "There's a message for you. They said Hattori killed his cellmate."

She nearly choked on her cracker. "Oh you can't be serious." She sighed. That was the last thing she needed. She turned to Toph. "Still want to talk to him, mother?"

The earthbender thought for a moment. Lin had only been joking but she genuinely seemed to consider it. Eventually, she answered. "Yes. I still do."

* * *

It wasn't just that Hattori was a Shadowbender - he also had a shadow spirit living in his body. It was the only possible explanation, going in line with what the old man at the library had said.

"I don't see him," Korra said. She scanned the library desks for him, but he wasn't there.

"Shh, keep your voice down," Asami whispered back. "Maybe he's on a break." She looked around at the countless shelves of books surrounding them, and the stories above her. The library floors spiraled upwards, lined with manuscripts and novels gathered through the ages. It was an impressive sight, enough to make her feel giddy with excitement for what they might find.

"Ughh! So many books!" Korra didn't feel the same way. "How does anyone find anything in this mess?"

Asami took a deep breath. "Korra, libraries are the opposite of a mess. They're all arranged in alphabetical order, in their respective sections."

The Avatar wasn't convinced. She started walking along the bookcases, tilting her head sideways so she could read the titles. "Nothing sounds useful here."

"It's because you're looking at the cooking books."

"Oh."

Asami chuckled, picking up one of the books from the shelf. Masuki's Famous Dumplings. She smiled. The sight of the steaming dumplings on the cover reminded her of the days she would help her mother in the kitchen. She loved her cooking.

"So where's the shadowbending section?" Korra asked, growing increasingly impatient.

The engineer slotted the book back in its place. She looked back at the wall by the entrance - plastered on it was a large poster with the numbered sections of the library. She had a look through them. Section 32 was called Other Bending Disciplines. That might be what they're looking for. "It says third floor."

"Ughhh! Now I have to go upstairs?"

Asami rolled her eyes and started climbing up the spiraling floors, with Korra following dejectedly. The view of the library from the further up they got was even more impressive. It was astonishing to think the amount of people that dedicated their lives to organizing and restoring so many books.

They weaved in and out of rows of bookshelves until they found one labelled 32. Asami scanned the books, running her finger across them as she looked for anything to do with shadowbending. Korra had looked too, for about one minute before slumping down on the floor, sitting cross-legged and watching Asami do it instead.

She had seen things on blood bending, lightning bending, even energy bending, but as she walked down the row her hopes of finding something about shadow bending was dwindling. There was nothing on shadows when she got to "S", but there was a tiny gap between the other books. She frowned. Maybe what they were looking for had already been taken out. That would be insanely unlucky.

"There doesn't seem to be anything," Asami sighed.

"Brilliant, came all the way up here and there's nothi-"

"Are you looking for something?"

The two of them nearly jumped at the old raspy voice. The old librarian held a stack of books in his arms, and stacked them along the shelves.

"Hey, I remember you. You told me about shadowbending."

The old man looked at her and smiled. "Ah, Avatar Korra. Yes I remember that too. In fact, since you left," he put the books down on the floor as he looked through them. He pulled out two yellowed pages with frayed edges. "I let the restorers know the Avatar was looking for something on this topic, and they found it in their budget to restore whatever they could from the old shadowbending book. It's not much, but it's what they could salvage."

He handed the two thin and fragile pages to her.

Korra skimmed through the writing. It was all in cursive and faded out, the language used being at least a thousand years too old-fashioned for her.

"Thank you," she said.

"Well, it's the least we can do." The old man picked up his stack of books again. "If there's anything else you need, let me know." He went about his business, filling the shelves up as we went.

Asami looked down at the pages over Korra's shoulder. Even she thought they were hard to read.

"Can you tell what it says?" The Avatar asked.

"Barely."

She sat down next to her and squinted at the writing. She read out whatever she could understand.

"The spirit's vengeful wrath manifests itself in the shadows. A destructive power, drawn to bloodthirsty revenge, angry that its world is forgotten about in the darkness." Asami took a moment to decipher the next paragraph. "The host is nothing but a temporary vessel for the spirit, and eventually, is banished from its own body. Thus the trade is complete. Power at the exchange of physical form."

Korra frowned. "Do you mean the spirit is taking over Hattori?"

"I think so... Or it's in the process anyway." Asami gulped, reading the next few lines. "The process is irreversible. The pact is already made and will be brought to completion, under all circumstances."

They sat in silence for a while, taking it all in.

"No..." Korra eventually said. "There must be some way."

"I suppose..." Asami hesitated. "I suppose killing Hattori would be the only way."

The Avatar's heart dropped. Was there really no other way to get the spirit out of him? And even if they did, would Hattori survive the process?

"Does it say anything else?"

Asami tried to read more but the writing was too faded for her to understand. She wondered what it would have looked like before being restored. "Not that I can see."

"Then we'll make do with that." Korra said.

They checked the pages out, just in case they might need them later, before heading out of the library. Parked outside, they found Lin coming to look for them.

"Korra, brilliant," the Chief said. She looked relieved to have found them. "I was looking for your help with something."

"Funny, was thinking the same thing Chief…" Korra herself said, holding up the paper. "May need to hear this." Then both her and Asami took notice of who was in Lin's Satomobile, giving a wave. "OH, hi Toph!"

"Hey girls!"

"So wait, why is she here?" Asami asked Lin who sighed and had to pull the couple to the side, leaning them in and began talking in a hushed voice.

"My mother says she's here to show us younger cops how to properly get information out of Hattori…" Lin began before stopping a bit, stealing a quick glance at her Mother, who she just knew even being inside the metal machine, could still sense where they were before she resumed.

"But i think there's more to her visit, can't say what per say, lest she finds out, so i'll tell you two when we're alone."

Korra and Asami weren't quite sure what Lin meant, but could tell the serious look on her face was a front, whatever she thought of Toph, it was bothering her badly.

"When we're alone." Korra whispered back, hand on Lin's shoulder arm to assure her.

* * *

"Oh wow, the lighting makes that head wound look worse." Asami felt a bit uneasy at the sight of the wound on the face of Hattori, who now had his hands and feet restrained to his seat in the interrogation room, a precaution after the liquefaction of his inmate the night before.

"Yeah, the dim lighting in the brothel made it look not as worse as it already was." Korra agreed, seeing how casual this killer was acting, waiting for someone to come through.

But still, from what Lin and Toph told them on the ride there after what Korra told them, they knew underneath this angry man seeking to bring down his wrath on those who took his life away, enough to come back from the dead through a shadow spirit was a husband and father who held many regrets and missed his family so much.

"I've seen worse wounds." Toph noted, her usual snark heard, but her daughter still could sense something off, but to play along…

"You did that one on purpose, mother."

A small chuckle came from the master Earthbender's lips, as if she needed to make a joke to deal with what she was feeling. "Got me there kiddo, now get him talking…"

Just before she and Korra entered the room, Lin tried to steal one last glimpse of her mother, Asami at the woman's side… and she saw it, the slight clench of Toph's hand.

Course, could have been the old woman was very subtly showing she worried for her daughter going in with the Equalist Ripper. But it also could have been for another reason at the same time.

But no need to push the matter anymore as both the Chief and the Avatar opened the door and entered the room, closing it as Hattori took notice, not just of Lin, but because of the unfamiliar brown skinned woman until it dawned on him.

"Wow, Avatar Korra herself!" Hattori began to get up to shake her hand, only to be stopped in place due to the cuffs and chains keeping him in place. "Ah, right, sorry. Guards haven't been making it easy for me."

"After you literally turned your cellmate into nothing but blood and bones with your freaky bending, not taking any chances." Lin noted, keeping her eyes focused on Hattori, getting her notepad and pencil out.

That got Hattori to look at the chains with a rather bewildered look, but shrugged. "Point well made." Then he looked at the Avatar, smiling, holding out his hand as much as he could. "As i was saying, it's an honor to meet you, sorry for confusing you for a past life."

That remark about her disguise from days before got Korra rather surprised, but she took his hand and shook it. "It's alright… you know why i'm here, right?"

Hattori gave it a mock thought. "Cause my friend, who let me get socked in the nose by the Chief, made his presence known? And spirits are kind of your thing to deal with?"

"That is correct." Korra began, looking at the Chief before back at Hattori. "Hattori Hanzo, Lin told me everything about what happened, from your ties with the Equalists, your family… what happened to them."

At that last part, the Shadowbender nodded silently, wanting to say something pertaining to them, but just didn't, letting it simmer in his head, which he had asked Sha-Garou to please leave him be for the moment, which he seemingly agreed without any issue.

"I was also told about Sha-Garou, the Shadow Spirit in you, the reason you're able to bend shadows... and how you're back from the dead."

"Lin also tells you how much of a dick he can be?" Hattori asked, pointing at Lin, who nodded, remembering her encounter with a grimace, getting a nod from Korra too. "Yeah, would like to personally slap 'em in the face, but sadly, just a spirit in my mind, a damn annoying one. But hey, without him, I wouldn't have come back to… visit some old friends"

The Avatar took this all in, there was the killer she encountered days before, one with a set goal in mind. "And I take it you wouldn't mind telling a little ol' Water Tribe girl like me who your last three targets are?" She tried putting on an assuring voice which Hattori couldn't help but find funny, leaving Lin just… weirded out.

"Maybe we can bring them in and lock them up for what they did to you?" She asked in the tone again as Hattori finished his laughter, shaking his head, putting on a small smirk, yet it didn't sit right with him.

"I'm sorry, I'm going to have to say no to the offer."

He could tell that the two weren't happy with his answer. "Look, believe it or not, I get why you two are here, trying to convince me to stop what i'm doing, let you find the last three and throw them in a hole, lock 'em up and throw away the key, but…"

The two benders near him saw him close his eye, remembering everything that happened, something which Asami and Toph could notice, the latter noticing through the sad silence.

"I'm too deep into this, I've already killed more than half of them, and some other assholes too." Hattori then opened his eye, still remaining the gold it was, looking down at the titled ground. "I can't just call it quits, those three deserve everything coming to them, my wife and daughter are dead because of them, I can't let them live."

"Revenge never works, letting yourself allow a spirit to-." Korra began, trying to calm Hattori down, only for him to suddenly twist his head towards her direction, now angry as his red glowing eye showed.

"Are you sure about that?!" The Shadowbender asked, anger in his voice. "Cause i'm pretty damn sure it's been helping me out." Thoughts began going through his head as he kept his eye on the Avatar. "You know what those fuckers have done in the past?"

Hattori then began counting with his hands and fingers. "Asuki and Vullok? Their little brothel, you know how many of those girls are forced into sexual slavery? Know how many of them were taught "Lessons'' for stepping out of line, all actively endorsed by those two? Jai-Khu, even knowing he was faithful to his wife, helped bring in the girls, and that's when he wasn't busy running numbers and either beating or killing innocent Bender families when they couldn't pay. Pi-Lao?"

Just the thought of him enraged Hattori, looking at the two. "Guy practically got off by everything that came out of Amon's mouth, spirits know what shit he did for the Equalists. Raiko I'll say was the least worst of those five, and he helped vandalize various stores owned by benders, and accidentally killed some people in the process and got off free! Point i'm saying is, they all had tainted lives in the past, no matter how much one or two tried to change. The past always has a way of biting you in the ass."

Korra could see it in his eye, so could Lin, the want to bring down wrath upon those who ruined his life, to watch everyone of them suffer by his hands. It frightened her, even more so knowing it just fueled Sha-Garou's power.

And there's the possibility that Hattori wasn't speaking with a clear mind, that this… thing's corruption was slowly taking hold.

"Lin told me about how Sha-Garou came to you in the spirit world after you died." Korra began, trying to ease things along, and get back to the other targets later. "Why did it come to you?"

After some silence, Hattori closed his eye, giving a deep breath to calm himself down, trying to remember the meditation his grandfather taught him

"It…" He began, opening his eye, showing the gold of it. "It knew why I was there. In the spirit world. But not the one you're familiar with, not like the Fog of Lost Souls either. It was bare, empty, just void of anything but blackness."

Hattori sighed, remembering. "The only thing there to keep me company was the flames, but not your regular flames. They were blue and within them were… my past misdeeds. Like they were showing me every single wrongful thing I've done in the past. Directly or indirectly, it didn't matter, they were all there."

Then, the Equalist Ripper turned at Lin, showing her the face wracked with guilt.

"Me accidentally stabbing Ula and Karai, that I saw the most."

The killer then looked at his hands, knowing that he had his family's blood staining them.

"I was among those flames for what seemed like hundreds of years, until he came to me, Sha-Garou." Hattori said, remembering what he saw, still was unsure of what it looked like. "It was hard to tell what he looked like, but he engulfed the flames and told me what happened was a tragedy. He knew what I had done, what happened, what I felt."

Then the dead man looked at a shadow that Korra was casting, seeing it vibrate briefly.

"But he also knew who was to blame." He said, looking at the two. "Five years since that night, but they were all still alive. So Sha-Garou offered me the chance to come back with the power to take my revenge. Come back and make those Equalist bastards pay for everything they've done."

"And what did the spirit want?" Korra asked, hoping the answer wasn't what she was dreading from the one-eyed man.

"To be his vessel, to let him out of the spirit world. Was the only way for me to use Shadowbending anyway."

That got to the Avatar as it was exactly what she hoped wasn't Sha-Garou's plan.

"Hattori, there's someth-"

"Actually, not gonna lie with you," Said man began, not even hearing what Korra was trying to say, or warn. "I was actually skeptical of what Sha-Garou offered, it seemed too good to be true… Then…" Hattori paused, not sure if he should continue, especially knowing who was in the room sitting next to him.

But Hattori decided it now was the time to face the music. "He showed me someone who I've never met up to that point. My mother."

Silence was all that clouded the rooms, Lin's eyes having enlarged in realization as did Toph's in the other room, something Asami took note of.

"I never knew her growing up, my grandparents told me that she was one hell of a fighter, that she was a good woman. But when she was pregnant with me, the idea of a child scared her, she needed to go away. So when I was born, she left me in their care."

Korra noticed that Hattori was lost in his thoughts as he told the story, but then also took notice of Lin listening closely to every word, which confused her as to why the Chief would pay attention to this.

"But Sha-Garou showed me the truth…" The Shadowbender kept going. "That my grandparents… weren't really related to me, at all, that I was adopted by them as they were childless. Until," He then looked at Korra, keeping his golden eye focused on her.

"My mother, of child, came to them. She knew as powerful as she was, she was still an unsure young woman who was pregnant eight months in. Didn't want her friends to know, so she escaped in the mountains of the Earth Kingdom, where she found that childless old swords maker and his wife. They took her in, showed her kindness only rivaled by her friends and family, she knew I would be in safe hands when she gave me to the Hanzo's."

Hattori then looked at the two way mirror, looking at himself, not even knowing that in the direction he was looking, there was Toph, too directly having her face in the same direction, taking Asami's hand in hers, squeezing it to her confusion… and slight pain.

"But what shocked me that most wasn't that I was adopted, but who my mother was. I mean, there was-" Hattori pointed out only to notice something fall in front of him on the table, looking down at it as did Korra, who just now noticed it was Lin who dropped it on there.

It was the old crumpled photo of Hattori with his wife and child, when he had all his ears and eyes, when he had the one gold eye and the one glazed over green one, one that was blind.

Looking up at Lin, who looked the most conflicted she's even been in her life, with her eyes closed, Hattori got the gist of it and lowered his head. "So… you've figured it out already."

"You claim to say it's the truth, but…" Lin began before looking at Hattori, shaking her. "I can't say I believe you, there's no way, there's no possible way you're telling the truth." She said those words not wanting to believe it, even knowing what Hattori's heart was saying.

"What is he saying Lin?" Korra asked, not knowing what the photo meant until she took another glance and saw his eyes in it, wondering why they were different, only to just realize what he's suggesting, which Hattori took note of.

"Tell her, Lin… tell her what you found out… _SISTER_."

Suddenly a loud crash was heard in the next room the second the Shadowbender said that last word, the three taking notice as Asami herself watched Toph backup against a wooden chair, her glazed over eyes, having been focused listening to the story, now trembling.

"E-Excuse me, Asami…" was all Toph could let out before she rushed out of the room.

Lin realized what it was, turning to Hattori, her face turning to hate itself as she pointed at him. "You're lying, this is not over, NOT AT FUCKING ALL!" She hissed before storming out of the interrogation room, leaving Hattori rather down as Korra knew where this was all heading.

Lin had caught up to Toph in a fury, Korra trying to keep up behind her.

"Mother!" She yelled out down the corridor. "Answer me!"

Toph eventually stopped. There was nowhere to run anymore and she had to face the questions. She sighed and turned to face Lin.

"He's lying, isn't he, mother?" the Chief said, breathless from the running and the adrenaline. "Please tell me he's lying!"

Toph hesitated. That told Lin everything she needed to know and she shook her head in disbelief.

"Are you serious?" she said, staring wide eyed at her mother, fists clenched to hide her shaking hands.

"I'm sorry, Lin. I should have told you sooner."

"SOONER?!" her voice suddenly bellowed through the station, enough that some officers, about to walk near where they were, heard her, instead turning back, rather wanting to avoid an angry Lin. "You hid it from everybody! When were you gonna tell us? Were you going to hide it forever? And what? Pray it goes away?!"

"Lin-"

"When were you gonna tell me, mother?! Or Suyin for that matter!"

Toph waited a moment for her daughter to calm down. Her breathing was almost laborious by this point, but the initial shock was dwindling.

"He is telling the truth, Lin." Toph said, trying to keep her voice steady. It was a challenging sight to see the stoic earthbender be so close to tears. "I shouldn't have hid it from you. Or anybody for that matter. I never thought... I never thought he..." She didn't even know what to say. Her son was in the interrogation room, arrested for being a serial killer. Thinking that, she couldn't help feeling a suffocating sense of guilt.

Lin took a deep breath. "So it's true." She clenched her teeth, thinking of all the times Hattori called her sister. "So I really am his..." she struggled to say it. It felt like her throat was closing up. "I really am his sister?"

"Half. Half sister actually."

An uncomfortable silence fell over them. Lin averted her gaze and steadied herself against the wall, rubbing her face with her hands. There was so much for her to process and she couldn't think of anything else to ask, while Toph kept her head down at the floor.

Korra looked at Asami. The two of them were just as shocked, but it felt like they weren't supposed to be there. This was about Lin and Toph's family, but before they could leave them to it, Toph whispered something more.

"I was in the Earth Kingdom at the time. I had to let them adopt him... it just wasn't the time. I couldn't do it."

Lin shook her head. "If he wouldn't have shown up, you'd have never met him, mother." She felt her muscles tense. "He literally died without knowing you, mother."

Toph felt her blood draining from her face. "You're right." She started walking back to the interrogation room. "You're right."

The Chief frowned, following her. "And what do you think you're doing?"

"The right thing."

Korra and Asami, still clueless as to what they should do, followed her too.

Toph walked through the door, sensing Hattori still sitting down in shackles. He saw her shut the door behind her, a look of surprise, then happiness slowly spread across his face.

"Hello Hattori." Toph said.

Hattori's heart quickened, while he met her twice by accident before, this time, it felt like he was meeting her for the first time as a single tear fell from his one eye.

"Hello mother."


	12. Chapter Eleven- Mother and Son

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a bit of a Trigger warning due to the amount of violence in this chapter. So just a heads up.

Lin walked steadily behind her mother, seeing Toph close the door behind her as she noticed Korra and Asami having followed her.

“How is this possible, how did Aang and the others not know?” Asami asked the two as Korra approached Lin, putting her hand on her shoulder.

“Lin… LIN!” Korra had to yell out, getting the Chief out of her thoughts briefly. “You alright? You need-”

“The strongest bottle of booze, yes.” Lin finished, eyes not removed from seeing her mother and the serial killer who turns out was her half-brother properly introduced themselves, wanting to see how this would go. “But there’s none around, so just water will do… I need to hear this.”

Lin took a chair and sat near the glass, watching the sight unfold.

“It’s… it’s been a long time.” Toph finally said after what seemed like minutes of silence, moving a chair near Hattori and sitting down next to him.

“I mean, least I can formally meet you.” Hattori said, giving a nervous chuckle afterwards, this being the first time he can actually talk to her and she actually knows who he is. “Would say apologies about the lack of my right eye, but…” Hattori trailed off. “Well, you being blind and all.”

Toph, as horrified as she was to find out the son she gave up all those years ago turned out to be the Equalist Ripper, couldn’t help but give a surprising laugh at this, surprised to see that even after all he did, he was so kind and considerate.

“Look, it’s no big deal, it’s probably- OH, WOW.” The master Earthbender noted with surprise, having just decided to feel where Hattori’s wound would be, realizing the severity of it just by touching it. “Lin wasn’t kidding, you sure are ugly!”

Another round of laughter came out of Hattori, who since he came back from the dead, felt the first bit of true happiness in his life since his death, something he knew Sha-Garou was gagging at.

“It’s okay, that was the eye which was blind anyway. When…” The Shadowbender began to say, only to stop, the memories of the explosion and the piece of metal coming right at him swirled through his mind, but he shook it off. “Me losing it made no difference, in fact, I think I can see better now.”

He followed those words with a forced chuckle, but could tell from Toph’s reaction that she knew how he was feeling. “Y-Y-Yeah… sorry you had to find out the truth this way, me turning out to be the Equalist Ripper.”

“Your family, my…” Toph started talking, knowing how this was a rough subject, now knowing that she had a daughter-in-law and a granddaughter she never knew of, and would never get the chance to meet them. “Family… i’m so sorry about what happened.”

The Shadowbender felt his mother’s hand on his shoulder, almost feeling himself tear up at this, but managed to just hold it in. “It’s alright, it’s… a sore subject… you would have liked Ula, certainly not one to take crap from people, like you!” Hattori then shook his head, putting on a smile. “And Karai, let me tell you, little powderkeg of hyperness she was. From what Earthbending she was able to do, I'd say she was on her way to be another master Beifong earthbender like her Grandmother!”

But once Hattori said that, it was too much and he began crying, sobbing into his arm, not caring how he looked at this point in front of his mother, Lin and anyone else.

“You miss them very much.” Toph said to which Hattori nodded.

“Always. Even after joining up with the Equalists, they were the only thing keeping me human.”

Then Hattori looked at his hands, knowing what power he held thanks to letting Sha-Garou into him, moving his fingers, causing from the shadows to come out a tentacle that slithered it’s way onto the table and seemed to form into a shape, then two shapes that looked like figures moving on their own.

Toph could hear the shadows, but clearly couldn’t see them move around as Hattori watched the two figures move around, looking like a female and a smaller one playing with each other.

“Since then, all I had was my memories of them keeping me stable, cause without them, I'd truly be just a dead man who came back to right some wrongs. That and a Cat Owl who's currently being taken care of by my landlady.”

Lin watched this as did Korra and Asami, feeling something she wasn’t expecting, a tinge of guilt at what she said. While what she said was very much true and Hattori was a vicious murderer, he still had his heart.

“I do have a question, who's my father?”

Hearing Hattori’s question did catch Toph off guard a bit, but she was willing to answer.

“Spirits, it’s been years.” She began, remembering. “Three years before I got knocked up with Lin, I was asked by Zuko, Fire Lord Zuko, for my assistance with a matter in the Fire Nation. Some Ozai loyalists were starting shit up once again, to think they would have gotten the hint by then, and were seen located in some nearby mountains.”

The elder Beifong got up and began pacing around as she kept telling the story. “So we made our travels there, having to stop for the night to rest. Now, me and Zuko kept mainly to ourselves, talking about the past, Aang and the gang, usual topics for friendly get-togethers. But some of the soldiers were having a little spit roast over the fire, forgot what kind of animal, lean one, remember that. Also had some booze too. So me and Zuko decided to be friendly and jovial.”

Hattori listened, a thought going through his mind, one he was hoping was not true. One that he knew Sha-Garou was laughing at.

“Anyway, while we ate and drank, this one soldier came up to me, he was such a nervous wreck. Name was… OH, right, Yakumo. Basic non-bender soldier, nothing special. But at the same time, I remember him being interested in my Metalbending.” Toph explained, remembering more about the guy. “Honestly, he was more interested in learning everything about it than any of my students, Lin and Suyin included!”

Hearing the name of his other half-sister got Hattori’s attention. “Oh spirits, I completely forgot about her, wonder how she’d take knowing that I’M her half-brother.” He asked his mother.

“Honestly, probably better than Lin.” She said, giving a quick snort at the joke, Toph herself knowing that Lin is having an aneurysm at the thought.

“Seriously mother?!” Both heard Lin’s voice yell out at the remark, but Toph held her hand up in the direction without even looking.

“It was a joke!” She said before resuming the story. “Back to Yakumo, while know-it-all types usually annoyed me, especially when it came to bending… something about him just was different, he wasn’t some know-it-all, he was actually a jokester, one that respected how I was able to do it with ease. And he didn’t care about how… “Me” I can get. I remember Yakumo saying he liked how I wasn't some wilting flower, but a badass woman and that I felt the most flattered at. Next thing I knew, after we shared a bottle of some Fire Nation Liquor, me and him…”

Toph tried to find a way to explain what happened next before just waving her arms around. “You know, stuff happened.”

While Hattori felt a bit of relief that the story didn’t turn out to reveal Zuko was the father, he could see some sadness forming on Toph’s face. “Then the next day, when we got to where the loyalists were spotted, there was an ambush. Lucky for us, we were able to hold them off and arrest a bunch of them, but we took some casualties… Yakumo was one of them, died helping pull an injured soldier into cover, took an arrow to the back.”

Toph sighed and turned her head at Hattori. “Honestly, while I felt bad for him, I didn't think anything else of our encounter except it was a one night stand. Until I felt a small heartbeat in me sometime later, along with throwing up in the morning. Been around Sugar Queen enough times when she was pregnant to know I was too.”

Then she sat back down next to Hattori, who kept listening.

“The others never knew, maybe Zuko, but i’m sure he forgot. But the idea of having a child on my own, it did scare me, here I was, Toph Beifong, the Greatest Earthbender in the World, Chief of Republic City Police… nervous about raising a kid. And while my relationship with the girls is better these days, I can personally say I wasn't the best mother…. Sorry Lin.”

The elder Beifong waited for a loud response from her daughter, but thankfully didn’t get one before resuming.

“So I took a break from my duties, began venturing along the world, growing more and more pregnant, until I met Hattori Hanzo, the one who raised you I mean. He and his wife Mei-Shin moved from the Fire Nation during the hundred year war, not wanting his weapons to be used for Ozai’s armies, and set up a small shop in the mountains near Ba Sing Se. They knew exactly who I was, they also saw how far I was too, offering me a place to stay until I gave birth.”

Remembering the old man, Toph smiled. “He was a good man, him and Mei-Shin were good people, what happened to them might I ask?”

“He passed away twenty years ago, the year after, so did she.” Hattori answered, remembering when they did. “Both peacefully in their sleep.”

“Least they lived long fruitful lives.” Toph smiled before resuming the story. “I knew what to do when I was to give birth as they never had kids themselves. I asked that when the time comes, that they would be the ones to raise you. They knew why I was doing this, but accepted, happily taking you as their own while I had to go off. Did make sure to tell them not to restrict your freedom due to you being blind in one eye. Sorry about that by the way”

“And you’d be happy to know they didn’t.” Hattori assured his mother, but could see that the choice still haunted her. “Hey, mother, it’s okay, I get it. I don’t blame you for having to give me up, I was raised by good people. Any and all mistakes in my life were of my own doing, not yours.”

Toph gave a small smile, hearing that, only for it to fall, knowing that even after all that, Hattori’s life still took a turn for the worst. “Hattori… I know why you came back, just… please, stop this quest of vengeance.”

That got Hattori a bit sidewinded, but curious. “Bu-But… mother… I… I just can’t… what those Equalists did, what happened to Ula and Karai… I can’t let that go… I'm sorry… but I made a vow that I wouldn’t rest until those eight are dead by my hands… and I intend to keep it.”

“Is this what you think Ula and Karai would want from you?” Toph asked, having turned her head away, feeling herself get distressed, all as Hattori’s hand began to raise up, which everyone else noticed, including its owner, confused at it moving on it’s own until his head lowered against its own will.

“I never met them, but I assure you-” Toph began before feeling an… disturbing force enter the room.

_“Not to put too fine a point on this…”_

The voice Toph heard, right where Hattori was, that was not his voice, it sounded… wrong, like he was gone, turning her face as the Shadowbender lifted up his head, his eye turned bloodshot red and yellow.

_“But I really don’t think they’d have an opinion on this, seeing as they’re already dead.”_

“SHIT.” Lin blurted out, her, Korra and Asami realizing that Sha-Garou was in control at the moment, seemingly on it’s own.

“What the, who-” Toph tried to ask, only for Sha-Garou to put Hattori’s finger on her lips and made a hush sound.

 _“Please, enough trying to convince Hattori to back out.”_ Sha-Garou’s voice rang out as the others burst in on the scene. _“Oh, nice of you to join the party…”_ It began before moving both hands, making hands seem to be of the shadows come out, blocking their paths. _“I offered Hattori the chance to come back and mutilate those bastards who caused him to accidentally murder his family and then killed him, in return for getting me out of the damn Spirit World.”_ Then the spirit in control leaned closer to a shocked Toph’s ear, smirking at this. _“And I intend for him to keep his promise.”_

“So you can go ahead corrupting him until you have full control of his body!” Korra yelled out, trying to make her way through the shadowhands, getting an amused smile from Sha-Garou.

_“Look at that, someone’s been doing their research. And here I thought Miss. Sato only agreed to marry you for your looks. Congratulations on the engagement by the way.”_

Hearing the mock filled comment, Asami herself was trying to tear through the Shadows to get at the spirit who only laughed.

_“Oh, looks like I touched a nerve. Hattori will sooner or later get out, then he’ll rip and tear the last three apart, and then-”_

“You son of a bitch…”Sha-Garou heard from Toph, turning to see her standing up, prepared to fight. “I already had to give my son up once, you won’t fucking take him away from me!” 

This earned a laugh from the evil spirit who had Hattori sit back down, closing his hands, making the shadowy hands themselves go away, giving a smirk. _“Hey, a deal is a deal, and I WILL GET WHAT I WANTED…”_

Just then, Sha-Garou tilted his head, sensing something. _“Oh, what’s this? Something tells me you guys have a new prisoner…”_ Then it gave the four women the most wicked of smiles it could make Hattori give as he moved his fingers around, making tiny shadow tentacles which he used to break apart the metal cuffs holding him in place.

_“And he’s one Hattori’s been looking for.”_

With that, Sha-Garou made Hattori jump into Toph’s shadow, vanishing as they all realized what he meant.

“DAMNIT! One of his targets is here! COME ON!” Lin said loudly, signaling everyone to move it.

\---------------------------  
By the time the police officers could understand what was happening, Sha-Garou had already found the cell the Equalist was taken in. The cops ran frantically down the halls, looking for Hattori, but the spirit hid deep in the shadows as it crossed the police station. It held back its chuckle, finding the humans' attempts at finding him pathetic. 

Squeezing through the shadows of the cell bars, he caught the attention of the incarcerated Equalist. Seeing the shadows rise up in front of him, the man backed onto his bed, cowering against the wall as he watched Hattori's body emerge from the darkness. 

_“My friend has been looking for you, Kozin,”_ the dark voice said, its shrill, guttural sound almost enough to stab the air right through him. 

The Equalist didn’t live under a rock. He had heard enough about the recent murders to know what was happening and who from his past was behind them. He had also heard enough to know he didn’t stand a chance. 

“Please…” he whimpered. “You’re making a mistake, Hattori.”

The spirit laughed, its hearty cackle shaking Hattori’s body. _“Not even in your dying moments do you keep your honor.”_

“N-no… this… no. You have the wrong man… I’m not-”

The sound of the cops’ boots running in the corridor was enough to get Sha-Garou to hurry. 

_“Enough!”_ He bellowed, shutting the Equalist up, making him go white in the face and freeze. _“Try to enjoy this. I know I will.”_

With Hattori out of the way, he got to have a little fun with how he did this. He had always wanted to try something new. 

Long, shadow arms approached the shaking Kozin, making their way from the corners of the jail cell towards his limbs. He tried to resist at first, but it was no use against the strength of the shadow spirit. His legs and arms were grabbed, and he was hoisted up into the air.

Sha-Garou watched as he struggled, whimpering desperately against his grip. The spirit smiled wickedly. This will be a nightmare for the cops to clean up.

He lifted his hand up, slowly, summoning a large shadow claw from the edge of the room. It sprouted up from the darkness as he wielded it, letting the Equalist register what was happening for a moment before pressing its claws onto his body. 

“No! NO!”

Sha-Garou only grinned wider.

The sharp, pointed claws drew small trickles of blood from his chest. A slow and agonizing pain that was nothing like what was to come. 

_“Relax…”_ The spirit’s voice was nothing more than a whisper, but it resonated through the Equalist’s mind like a neverending curse.   
  
Suddenly, he jerked his hand back and the claw retracted, before slashing down onto his abdomen, tearing into the flesh, spluttering blood across the cell. 

“ARGHH!” The Equalist yelled in agony, tears running down his face. The cops caught on and they ran towards his cell, just in time to see the show. 

Sha-Garou swiped at his body again, and again and again, shredding the man’s body to pieces, bits of flesh and organs flying out as blood spurted and pooled. He only stopped when his body was too torn to hold up anymore and broke away from its limbs. The jail cell was a horror show of ripped flesh and puddles of blood.

The spirit was pleased with himself, one step closer to his goal, but had no time to enjoy the scene he had caused. The cops were opening the cell door. 

"Freeze!" He heard Lin yell, her voice loud but shaking from the murder she had just witnessed. "Stop right there!"

Sha-Garou shook his head. After all this time, they still thought they had him. 

"You're not getting away!" Toph called, following her daughter into the cell after him. 

The spirit sniggered. _“You wouldn’t hit your own son, would you?”_

Toph didn’t play into his evil games. “You’re not him.”

The two then metal bended at him in unison, but Sha-Garou evaded their attacks, slipping back into the shadows. 

“Don’t let him get away!” Lin bellowed, but Sha-Garou had already made it out of the cell, disappearing from their sights. 

“Split up and look for him!” He heard the Chief order behind him.

But it was no use. Sha-Garou was heading straight out if it wasn’t for the room he passed. The plaque on the door read “Evidence”. Hattori will be pleased with what he was about to do. 

He slipped under the door, peering around the dark room. There were draws and chests of items from suspects and criminals, but he was only looking for one specific thing. He smiled as he saw it lying across the table, its gleaming handle visible even in the low light. He grabbed the katana, and turned to leave. 

“You’re not going anywhere!”

He stopped, seeing Avatar Korra blocking his way. She was panting from the chase, and her eyes full of fury. It was an amusing sight. 

"Hattori, I know you're in there! Fight back!"

 _“You can’t stop me, Avatar.”_ His words dripped with bitterness, but Korra was unphased. 

“I can. And I will.”

 _“Is that so?”_ He approached her, and as she was ready to strike he wielded the shadows around her neck, holding her in place. She struggled against his grip, careful not to hurt her neck as she did so. “ _And why would you stop me?_ ” He said, conjuring something up for what he thought was a naive Avatar. _“You, of all people, understand Hattori most, don’t you?”_

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” She mumbled, struggling against the shadow. 

_“Yes… I think you do.”_

Korra gasped as a vision flashed before her eyes. Before her, she saw a figure she didn't expect, Commander Guan, kneeling and his hands bound behind his back. Sweat dripped down his forehead and he looked up at her pleadingly.

_“You understand revenge, don’t you?”_

The Avatar stared wide eyed at the man before her. The memory of everything he’d done, from trying to forcibly keep the Earth Empire in power, brainwashing her friends against her, even her beloved Asami. That alone was enough to make her blood boil. 

_“You wish for it too, don’t you?”_

She had lost control of her body, and instead watched herself beat the Commander, punching his face again and again, hearing his grunts as he suffered in pain. Every time her fist connected with his face and drew blood, she remembered every hurtful thing he made Asami say to her.

It only fueled her anger more, repeating the assault until his body slumped onto its side, lifeless before her, his head rendered into what could only be described as raw grounded up meat.

She stared at what she had done, _a sick and vile smile slowly forming on her lips._

With Korra distracted, Sha-Garou formed up another claw made of shadows over Hattori's own hand, ready to strike her down.

Only for the lights in the room to turn on at the same time, brighter than usual, forcing the evil spirit to let Korra go, giving an inhuman scream, like it hurt.

It then snarled angrily as it turned around, seeing an angry Asami, holding her electricity glove up against the light switch, giving it a surge of power.

"You get the fuck away from her!"

Sha-Garou breathed heavily, ready to charge at her, but grunted in pain before it could do so, to the dark spirit’s surprise.

Not wanting to deal with it at the moment, the spirit sunk Hattori into Korra's shadow, leaving Asami to check up on her as she awoke, seeing the killer wasn't around.

The Avatar was panting in shock. The scene he had showed her repeated in her mind like a mover. 

There was a chaos of footsteps around the station behind her and Asami, yelling after Hattori, but Sha-Garou was already gone.

* * *

Not long after, a shape came out of the shadows far away from the prison, its head lowering before it rose again, the one-eyed man troubled by the sudden long pause in his mind.

"Hey, what the- Huh?"

Hattori began to yell at the spirit in him before stopping, noticing he was no longer inside the interrogation room, but rather outside.

"The shit was that?! How did I get outside and-" He began to rant, only to stop, looking around the area, surprised at what he was seeing, an area he had not been at in five years, looking up at the statue of Avatar Aang from the docks.

This was the site of his and his families murder.

"Why am I here?!"

_"Cause I had to pick an environment to escape to and this was the perfect spot."_

Hearing the response confused Hattori who then noticed the Katana in his hand, and said hands were covered in blood.

That made him begin to shake with fear in his face, especially at the idea of whose blood it was on him.

_"Don't worry, it's not your mother's blood, nor Lin or the others. But I did find him..."_

Hattori listened as the dark spirit explained it sensed Kozin being arrested and brought to the prison at the same time he was being interrogated.

 _"But since you were too preoccupied with making up lost time with your mother, I had to take control to find him. AND fend off everyone in the way!"_ Sha-Garou lied, not wanting the one-eyed man to know the truth of why it really took control.

_"And you'll be happy to know I was able to find and kill Kozin for you before escaping, even got you your sword back."_

Listening to the story, not knowing some parts were false and seeing he did have his sword in hand, Hattori was unnerved at how the spirit within him took control so easily.

It rather disturbed him to know he had no memory of his escape, tilting his head.

"You know, you could have told me about that little detail of you being able to TAKE FULL CONTROL OF MY BODY WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!" Hattori yelled out, rather angry at this, wondering what else he missed on, what he didn't know what Sha-Garou could have done in control of his body.

 _"Oh, forgive me…”_ The Dark Spirit began in a mock apologetic tone. _“If I had told you about that ability of mine back when I made you that offer, you more than likely would have said no!"_ The spirit pointed out, its voice growing loud as Hattori was angry at this development. _"But, because of me, you now only have two targets left, both of whom you know exactly where they may be hiding, you're out of jail AND have your katana back."_

"And not only have the whole police department on my ass, AGAIN, but also the fucking Avatar, and the two greatest Earthbender’s in the world, who just happen to be my mother and sister!"

_"Half-sister."_

"Whatever!" Hattori yelled out, angry at this, shaking his head as he heard the sirens blare out in the night sky, knowing fully well why they were being heard, deciding to leave the area.

"Let's just get out of here and find Koji before any cops come around. And remember, you don’t take control of my body unless I give the okay, got it?”

_“Heheheheh… whatever you say Hattori, whatever you say…”_


	13. Chapter Twelve- Realizations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a bit of a Trigger warning due to the amount of violence in this chapter, some "bender" related slurs and slight PTSD. So just a heads up.

**Chapter 13**

Lin and Toph walked into the Chief's apartment, and as Lin threw her keys on the coffee table like always, Toph metal bended them, catching them midair.

"You're gonna drive a hole through the table at this rate," she said, hooking them onto one of the pegs by the door.

Lin sighed. That was the last thing she was worried about.

Kya came to greet them. "How did it go?" she asked.

The Chief slumped down on the couch, rubbing her face with her hands. "He got away," she said.

"What?" she sat down next to her.

"Bastard slipped away in the shadows. Killed another Equalist we brought in this morning too."

"That wasn't him. It was Sha-Garou," Toph said.

"It was who?" Kya still didn't know much about Hattori.

"I don't care whether it was Hattori, Sha-Garou or a fire ferret. He did what he did."

"You can't hold him accountable for something he had no control over."

"Someone died again, mother, of course I will. He stole back his bloody sword too."

"Can someone explain what's going on?" Kya said. She was really struggling to follow the conversation. "What do you mean he wasn't in control?"

"He has a spirit living in his body," Toph said. "It's how he can shadowbend. He died, and the spirit brought him back so he could have his vengeance against the Equalists."

"He killed his wife and daughter," Lin added, and Kya's eyes went wide.

"Accidentally," Toph corrected her. "The Equalists attacked him. It wasn't his fault."

"Besides the fact he chose to join them."

Toph had nothing to say to that.

"So, he was brought back to the dead?" Kya said. "That would explain why I couldn't feel his energy. And the spirit in his body... I'm guessing it's evil."

"And a real asshole to boot too," Lin added in. "Apparently the fucker can just take control of him whenever it likes. And from what I hear it'll eventually just take his whole body for itself."

Kya shook her head. "Spirits... that's not good."

"The only way to get rid of him is to kill him probably," Lin continued as Toph turned her head at her in shock.

"Lin, you're talking about your half brother here!"

"The half brother you hid from me and Su, who also happens to be a murderer!"

Kya raised her brows. She was confused again. "Wait, what?"

Toph sighed. "I am his mother. Lin and Suyin are his half sisters."

The story was just getting more and more shocking for the healer. "Wow."

"And there's got to be another way to help him that isn't killing him," Toph said. "Don't pretend like you don't have an ounce of sympathy left in you for what he went through."

Lin hesitated. "You're the one who told me sob stories wouldn't have flown with cops back in your day."

"Don't give me that crap. You know full well what I meant, and you know full well what I mean now. Don't take your anger for me out on him."

"I'm not angry at anyone."

"Bullshit. Of course you're angry. But the point is not to let it cloud your judgement. Cops help people before anything else, especially since he's your family, like it or not. And Lin, there's a good man somewhere in there, under all the anger, and that damn evil spirit."

Lin furrowed her brows as she thought. It wasn't her fault her mother kept a secret from her for years, and neither was it her fault that her half brother killed people, admittedly in revenge. She owed nothing to him, and neither did she need to make her mother feel better about her choices in life. But maybe an ounce of what she said was true. Cops did help people before anything else. It didn't matter who he was, he probably deserved something other than an automatic death.

"Even killers are people, I suppose," she muttered. She didn't like having her mind changed, but perhaps they could try something other than killing him. "But if he tries something, I won't hesitate to put him down."

"At least you're trying," Toph said, somewhat relieved. "I'm making tea. Anyone want some?"

"Yes, please," Kya said. She needed something calming after what she'd just heard.

With her mother in the kitchen, Lin took Kya's hand in her own, closing her eyes tightly, which the waterbender noticed, sensing something else troubling her.

"Lin…"

"Kya, I… I'm so conflicted." The Chief said in a small voice, not wanting Toph to hear, opening her eyes to look at her lover. "One moment, I, me and you, we saw Hattori kill without remorse, just brutalized them…"

Then she glanced at her mother preparing the bag of tea to boil, knowing she too, while more receptive, must have some form of conflicting feelings about her long lost son.

"But I also watched him sit with my mother, laughing and crying with her, like he was a different man."

Kya, while she had to still get all the story, could see the uncertainty in Lin's face. "You don't know what to do? You know what realistically must be done, but a part of you is unsure of it, knowing it may hurt your mother?"

Lin nodded, knowing how right she was.

That earned a small kind chuckle from Kya, who lightly took Lin by the cheek and gave her a soft kiss, holding her in her arms as she moved her lips from Lin's.

"That means you're still human, love."

Before the metalbender could give a response, her mother's voice rang out from the kitchen.

"Not to interrupt you two's little romantic moment, but the tea is almost done!"

"Oh for- Are you serious mother?!" Cried out an embarrassed Lin as Kya couldn't help but give an amused giggle as Toph's laugh was heard.

"Sorry, just needed a laugh. We all do." The elder Beifong said, something which Lin had to agree with, they all needed it.

* * *

Asami came back with a damp cloth and laid it on Korra's forehead. The Avatar was lying down on their couch, hand on her head and eyes closed in pain.

"Thank you," she muttered to her fiance.

Asami perched next to Korra's side, rubbing her shoulder. "How does it feel?"

"Still hurts, like I went two rounds with a kangaroo dog," she said. The aftermath of the vision turned out to be a pretty debilitating headache. As if the scene she witnessed wasn't bad enough. "But not as bad as it was."

They stayed like that for a moment, Asami just keeping her silent company while she got better. The cup of steaming tea she had brought the Avatar a while ago was now empty on the coffee table. She stood up to take it to the kitchen, when Korra mumbled.

"Sami?"

"Yeah?"

She tried to sit up, squinting at the light and putting the cloth on the side for now. Even with the blinds closed, the dimly lit room was still too much for her headache. She looked up at the engineer, but didn't really know how to phrase what she wanted to say so she sighed. "Sha-Garou... he..."

Asami put the cup down and sat down next to her again. Whatever she was trying to tell her, she wanted to listen and help her.

"He showed me Guan," Korra said finally.

The engineer could barely remember anything that happened during a period of time when the former Earth Empire commander attempted to rule over the Earth Kingdom back in Gaoling, between trying to bring Kuvira back and suddenly being in Zaofu. All she knew was that she had been brainwashed into doing... something she still didn't know, and dreaded to think about.

"I... I killed him." The Avatar's voice hitched as she said it. "I... beat him to death with my bare hands." She was trying to hold back tears. She felt a mix of anger towards him, and of incredible guilt for what she saw herself do.

Asami took her hand in hers. "Korra, that wasn't you. It was some sick vision from some evil spirit. It wasn't real."

Korra shook her head. "But I felt like I was really there. And..." she didn't want to say it. She closed her eyes and a few more tears dripped down her cheeks. "I wanted to. I wanted to kill him." She felt like she had dropped a bombshell, but Asami never stopped rubbing her hand with her thumb, so she carried on. "I was so angry at him for what he did. And for what he made you do. I just... I just wanted revenge. And that's exactly what Sha-Garou said. I hate that he was right."

"Korra, what some wicked spirit makes you feel doesn't represent who you are. He manipulated his words and the scene to get in your head. To make you think that's what you would do, but you wouldn't."

"But what if I would?"

Asami paused for a moment, choosing her words. "It wouldn't be like Guan doesn't deserve it. But there's no use dwelling on something that can't happen."

"I'm just... I'm still so mad at him."

"That's normal. Even good people get mad. It doesn't mean they're not good people anymore."

Korra let out a sigh. Asami always knew what to say, and while she didn't remember what she had done under Guan's influence, she was smart enough to figure out the gist of it. There was no use in mentioning any of it. It was all Guan's fault, and she didn't want to burden Asami with any guilt she shouldn't be feeling.

"Thanks, Asami."

"That's alright. Would you like any more tea?" the engineer asked.

Korra laid her head on her shoulder. "No thank you. I'm feeling better now."

Asami smiled and wrapped her arm around her, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

That did make Korra feel much better, smiling back before leaning to give her one on the lips and quite possibly more.

Seeing this sudden surge of affection that she wasn't part of however, Fumi immediately jumped up on Asami's lap out of jealousy. She started to rub her head against her, demanding the same attention.

The engineer chuckled, using her free hand to pet the wolfcat.

"Am I competing with her now?" Korra asked jokingly

"Yes. Yes you are. I've gotta say, you're not as soft." Asami sniggered.

Korra smiled and rolled her eyes. "At least I don't leave fur everywhere."

"Fair point. I suppose you win this round."

"Thank the spirits."

* * *

"Thanks Bo, Opal, I REALLY needed this." Mako said, having met up with his brother and girlfriend at the bar near Lin's place, it almost became a second home of sorts since this whole issue with Hattori started, taking his cup of sake in hand. "Ever since the murders, I feel like I need to come here every night to forget about 'em, especially after Hattori escaped."

Then he sighed, looking at his cup. "Having to go back guarding Wu isn't looking so bad at the moment."

"And once Hattori's defeated, we can get you away from here." Opal noted as Bolin sipped his lemonade.

"No worries bro, I got plenty of free time on my hands recently as does Opal, so we're here to help you, Lin and Korra need help to deal with this crazy spirit possessed… killer…." Bolin explained, slowly realizing how things may go. "Wait, is this a repeat of Tokuga?"

Mako shook his head, sipping his drink. "No, trust me, both are different. Tokuga wanted to take over Republic City, Hattori Hanzo's plan is more simple, hunt down and murder those responsible for the death of his wife and child."

"But wait, you said Hattori killed them." Bolin noted.

"Yes, but by accident. He's fully well aware of his mistake, but still holds those eight responsible."

"Judging by the body count, that's putting it lightly." Opal said as the Detective sighed before he and the other two notice some unruly drunk patrons making a scene nearby, only for a familiar mohawked girl to come in and begin beating them, yelling at them to leave. "Hey, there's your girlfriend!"

"Wha-WHAT?" Mako stuttered out, noticing it was indeed Thuy, the former front door guard of the former Pleasure Factory, in her bouncer clothes, easily handling the inhibited patrons with an array of strikes and holds, throwing them around. "C-Co-Come on, she's not my girlfriend!"

Then one of the drunks flew near them, almost hitting Opal before some thin metal wrapped around his neck before pulling him back as Thuy kept going, using her metalbending to tie the others up by their hands and began leading them out of the entrance.

"A girl who can handle herself in a fight and not take anyone's crap, i don't know Mako," Bolin noted, watching the scene. "She certainly seems like your kind of girl."

"Come on, we just had the one drink!" Mako tried explaining, quickly downing the contents of his cup, hoping he could hide his blush. "Telling you, me coming here lately and her working as the bar's cooler doesn't mean anything."

"AY, Mako!" Thuy's voice rang out, just noticing him after getting the drunks out, grabbing his hand as the redness of his face increased to the not at all shocked looks of Bolin and Opal. "Sorry, didn't realize you were here, you know i can get you free drinks love!"

Then the metal bender noticed the other two, giving a smile. "Oh, I remember these two, this your brother and his girl you mentioned on our little date?"

"Ah, yeah, ah…" The firebender said, trying to keep face before quickly muttering as he presented. "Thuy, BolinOpalBeiFong. BolinOpalBeifong, Thuy."

"Nice to actually meet the real you's." Thuy smiled, suddenly sitting on Mako's lap to his surprise before shaking the other two's hands. "I actually remember seeing a "Nuktuk" mover with you in it." She noted pointing at Bolin, who gave a quick pose his character gave as the metalbender looked at the airbender. "And nice to see a fellow resident from Zaofu, Ms. Beifong."

"OH, you're from Zaofu?" Opal asked, surprised to encounter someone from her home in the city as the mohawked girl smiled, moving from Mako's lap and next to Opal on another chair. "So nice to see another person from there!"

"Yep. Moved here a couple years ago and tried to join the police force since I got my metalbending skills from my father who's from Zaofu, and got my lovely Northern Water Tribe looks from my mother," Thuy explained, able to bend some steel from her satchel with ease, showing off to the others. "But the cops said I was "Too unruly to be an officer", so I instead offered my skills elsewhere, Asuki noticed, and I got hired at the Pleasure Factory as a guard."

Then the metalbender smiled and rubbed her fingers under Mako's still blushing chin. "Which is where I met "Ol' Pyro", things went from there and here I am now doing this in a more legal manner."

"So, you ARE his girlfriend." Bolin teased his older brother who shot a glance at the younger one as both girls laughed.

"Well, if that's what you call it." Thuy smirked, closing her lime green eyes before getting up. "Well, better get back to work." She noted before whispering something into Mako's ear with a coy smile, turning him the reddest he's ever been before leaving, leaving Bolin and Opal curious.

"So, bro, what did she-"

"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Mako interrupted quickly, turning his head to order another drink when he stopped, noticing something in the direction he was looking, right at a bunch of different photos near the bartender, getting up as quickly as he could to the other two's confusion.

Mako got as close as he could, looking at one particular photo, but he couldn't get a great look at the spot he was at, looking at the bartender. "Hey, buddy!" He said, getting his attention as he pointed up at the photo. "Sorry, but can i get a closer look at that photo?"

"Huh? Ah, yeah…" The Bartender then took the photo down and gave it to the detective. "Give me a heads up when you wanna put it back."

"Okay…" Mako said, looking at the photo as Bolin and Opal followed him, looking at the photo.

"Woah, is that?" Opal asked.

"Yep, Hattori Hanzo." Mako answered, the photo indeed showing Hattori, before his death with three other men.

"My… uncle…" Opal said, the words coming awkwardly out of her mouth as she was still getting over what both Korra and Asami revealed to them about, that her Grandma Toph hid the truth that she gave birth to him before her mother and aunt.

Out of the three men in the photo with Hattori, Mako realized he knew one of him. "I know him, that Kozin!"

"That's the guy Hattori, or that spirit tore to shreds!" Bolin said, remembering Mako telling him what happened over the phone before they met up, still feeling woozy from just hearing how it went as Mako flipped the photo over.

"Yep, but who are-"

"AH-HAH!" Opal said loudly. "These other two must have been involved with the original murders." Opal pointed out, both figuratively and physically as she flipped the photo over and pointed out a familiar tattoo on Kozin's arm somewhat obscured by the table they were drinking at. "Which means…"

"We know who the last two targets are…" Mako realized, seeing the two names that got their attention. "Question is, who will Hattori go after first?"

* * *

"Okay, so that'd be around ten Yuan." An elderly voice said as he took the currency in hand given to him from a customer in his shop, giving them what they purchased as they left, seeing there were some customers left, still checking out which food they'd buy.

The shopkeeper saw the time, 30 minutes until 9:30 pm, almost closing time, then looked at his butcher as he cleaned up his area, especially the sharp knives he used to cut up meat.

"Thirty minutes and it's closing time Koji."

The butcher looked over to his boss, nodding. "Yep, have plans tonight Dae-Su?"

"Nothing crazy, just come home, listen to the radio, make sure Coco is fed, then get some sleep, you?"

Koji, a man, while younger than his boss, was still in his late 50's, his long grey hair tied up in a bun, in basic shape for his age, stretching his arms and upper body around.

Under his long sleeve butchers uniform, on his lower left arm where no one could see it, was a tattoo of the Equalist symbol. He had it covered as while his boss wasn't a bender, it was still a pain in the ass for someone with past connections to the extremist group to get a job without getting judged.

Even more so if the person still believed in it's ideas, even after everything that went down in the past.

Still, a job is a job and Dae-Su still paid good, so Koji wasn't complaining as he took out another knife to clean, having been cutting up various kinds of meats.

"Haven't decided yet." The Butcher said before just then, the bell above the door rang as it opened, meaning another customer came in, Koji, not even lifting his head, was hoping it wasn't someone like, in his own words, some "Dirty Rock Thrower", or a "Floating Airhead".

"Ah, what can i- OH MY, what happened to you?" Koji heard Dae-Su ask the customer, about to put the knife under the water.

"Nothing much, just got too close to some fireworks."

That voice stopped the butcher in his tracks for a few seconds before he slowly turned his head in the direction it came from, seeing the man he was hoping the most he'd never encounter.

Koji heard Hattori Hanzo had managed to get out of prison after killing Kozin, he knew Hattori was the Equalist Ripper who had the ability to shadowbend, a form of bending given by some kind of evil spirits he always thought was some sort of scary story benders told their little bastards to keep them in line.

But there the one-eyed man stood, his gold eye staring daggers right at the butcher before suddenly bringing out his katana out of the sheath.

The very same katana Koji used to stab Hattori in the chest five years prior.

And everyone else in the shop, having seen this action, knew just who entered the store.

"Anyone whose name isn't Koji…" Hattori began before raising the weapon and pointing it at Koji, who slowly made his way out from the counter, making sure the large butcher's knife he was about to clean was hidden behind his back. "Leave. NOW."

Every customer and Dae-Su took heed of the warning, rushing out as fast as they could, knowing what was bound to happen.

But just as the last customer, a greying black haired lady around her 60's, got close to leaving near Koji, the butcher suddenly grabbed her, holding the knife against her throat, not taking any chances.

"Hattori, stay back man! Come any closer, i'll cut her throat open!"

This was something Hattori had not planned on, seeing the frightened woman in his target's arms as a hostage.

"Come on Koji, this is between you and me, leave the woman out of this!"

"And let you use that freaky ass shadowbending to do spirits know what on me, FUCK THAT!" Koji yelled back, keeping his hostage close to him, trying to move.

"You know I can just as easily grab that knife out of your hand just by the movement of mine." Hattori retorted, about ready to do so.

"And the second i see any part of you move, she's dead!" Koji said back, shaking his head at the man he stabbed all those years ago. "And you don't want to accidentally have someone die because of you again, right?"

" _He's bluffing, do it now…"_ Sha-Garou hissed in Hattori's mind, but the swordsman himself wasn't sure himself, knowing that his former Equalist ally was always a chicken mouse shit who'd sooner throw someone under a trolley to save his own skin, and that'd include killing a hostage if he's provoked.

"You remember what I said, that I'd kill you all." Hattori noted, his katana lowered, but still in hand, eye focused on his target and the hostage. "So instead of hiding behind some poor woman, let her go and accept your death like a man."

" _What are you waiting for?"_ The spirit asked, starting to get slightly annoyed. But Hattori himself wasn't trying to risk the woman's life, even if she was in his way. _"Do it…"_

"Oh no, I'm not dying cause you're still mad about what happened to your Water Tribe whore and the little stone throwing bitch you both spawned, I'm getting out alive…"

" _It's too easy, take the chance…"_

"Let the woman go..."

" _Come on already, Hattori!"_

"NOW!"

"FUCK YOU, HATTORI!"

" _NO, FUCK YOU!"_

Suddenly, two loud bursts were heard, followed by the sounds of something splattering.

Blood splattering all over Hattori's face and free hand that he held out, his face looking enraged…

… as his eye was bloodshot with traces of yellow, looking at the massive shadow tentacle having come out from the shadow cast by Koji, having struck not just through the former Equalist, but also the old woman he held in front of him, the tip of the tentacle sticking out of her chest cavity.

The woman's eyes rolled up as she slumped over dead, sliding off the tentacle as the still gravely injured Koji was caught off guard that Hattori seemingly and willingly allowed the hostage to be killed, just to get to him, after just begging him to spare her.

But Koji, barely hanging on, realized the last words that came out of Hattori's mouth wasn't done in his regular voice, but like someone, or rather, something else was controlling him.

Just then, the tentacle was ripped out of Koji's body, causing him to fall backwards, just as he saw Hattori slowly stroll up to him, keeping the katana in hand, that horrific eye looking down at him.

"Ha-Ha-Haattori…"

The Equalist only managed to get out his former comrades name before coughing out blood before hearing the evil voice again.

" _Remember when you thought Shadow Spirits were just scary stories benders told their children?"_

Koji could only shake his head in fright and cough up more blood as he saw Hattori raise up the Katana blade over him.

" _Trust me, I'M VERY MUCH REAL."_

And with that, Sha-Garou swung the katana down across Koji's neck, slicing the head cleanly off, making it roll around the ground, blood spraying onto the floor.

The spirit sneered at this sight before giving that evil smile until briefly lowering the head down and Hattori was back in control it came back up, just now noticing the corpse of his target.

"Seriously, what did i just ask you earil-" He began to yell, annoyed Sha-Garou not only took control again, but killed another one of his targets, only to move his foot backwards, hitting something.

Hattori turned around and his golden eye widened in shock at the sight of the dead woman with the hole in his chest, similar to Koji's.

"What the fuck? WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST DO?!"

" _I impaled Koji with the shadows and sliced his head off with your katana."_

"I MEANT WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST DO TO THAT WOMAN!" Hattori yelled out in a mixture of anger and distress, seeing the lifeless eyes of the woman he tried to save.

" _Relax, she was gonna die-"_

"No, no, nononoNO! No she wasn't, I was gonna save her-"

" _Then WHY DIDN'T YOU?!"_

Hattori was caught off guard by the words Sha-Garou said.

_"You had so many opportunities to save her, yet all you did was just beg the now decapitated Equalist to let her go instead of acting on it!"_

The one-eyed man tried to form a sentence, or some form of response, but nothing was coming out, so he rushed out of the backdoor and into the alley, all while the dark spirit rang in his head.

" _So once again, I was forced to act, this time at the cost of an innocent bystander."_

Hearing this began making Hattori shake his head as he stopped, putting his hand up against the wall. "This has to stop, you can't just keep taking over my body and doing as you please, killing Kozin and Koji, i can let that slide. But you can't go and kill anyone who's innocent."

" _No one's ever innocent, Hattori. Now you just got Tarkik left. Let's find him and kill him."_

"Are you gonna attempt to take over my body again?"

" _If you keep dragging your heels, yes."_

Giving it some thought, Sha-Garou hearing his thoughts be damned, Hattori shook his head. "Alright, fine then you spirit son of a bitch, i'm not gonna go after him- What the?!"

The shadowbender noticed his hand began moving on it's own and suddenly thrust towards his throat, grasping it and seemingly pushing him against the brick wall, confusing the shadowbender as he tried to struggle out of the grasp.

" _OH, but i think you're going to!"_

"THA… FACK… YOUS DOIN'?" Hattori choked out, trying to get back control of his own hand, choking him.

" _You listen here Hattori Hanzo… you and me, we made a deal. I give you the ability to shadowbend, come back from the dead and kill those Equalists, and in return, you get me out of the damn Spirit World!"_

Just then, Sha-Garou's control of Hattori's hand seemingly pulled him forward, then back against the wall.

" _Now, I do tend to keep my word. But if you even think of backing out, I will leave your body, turning you into a corpse again as your soul goes back into those flames forever. You'll be stuck there, forced to live with the fact that you failed your quest and your family, AGAIN, knowing Tarkik got away from your bloodstained hands!"_

Finally, the spirit let go of it's control over Hattori's hand, letting him get some air as he gasped and coughed in pain as the damn spirit kept talking. _"So, I'll leave the choice up to you, go and complete your little quest for revenge or die again and suffer amongst the fire for every bad thing you've done, and then some."_

This was not at all what Hattori was expecting, even with how sinister Sha-Garou was with him at times, he knew, or at least he thought he knew, there was only one positive choice, even if he was beginning to regret this partnership.

"Okay, fine… deal is...still… on…" He said, breathing heavily as he heard the spirit give it's evil laugh.

" _Good to see you finally understand."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seven down, one last target to go. XD And boy, some stuff is being revealed with all over, like what Korra admitted to Asami about the vision of her and Guan. Which, really, can you blame her?
> 
> And sorry Mako/Wu fans, looks like Thuy is going to be here for awhile. XD If it's anything, Countconiine had the fancasting idea of Faye Marsay (The Waif from "Game of Thrones") as the voice of her. In fact, to make Thuy her own character, we had the idea of her talking with Faye's natural Yorkshire dialect.


	14. Chapter Thirteen- Consulting With Some Unlikely Help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a bit of a Trigger warning due to the aftermath of murders. So just a heads up.

Lin sighed, looking out at yet another crime scene. She had almost gotten used to seeing them, but the surprise of how the next Equalist was going to be killed still got to her. This one had been impaled straight through his body and his head rolled off across the floor, decapitated. The sickest part of it all, was the elderly woman's body lying in the pool of blood with him. She no doubt had been innocent.

"Chief," Mako said. "Nishi and his assistants are wondering if they can pick up the bodies now."

Lin looked down at her notepad. She barely wrote anything. There was no point anymore, they knew exactly who did it and how.

"Yeah. Take them away."

It was a gruesome sight, seeing the assistant try to fit the head back onto its body as he stuffed it into the bag, trying to avoid spilling blood everywhere as Nishi chewed him out for being so sloppy with his work.

The Chief couldn't believe they were back to this point. They had Hattori locked up. They nearly put a stop to this, and here they were, staring at another dead body again.

"Hey, I got the message," Korra joined them at this point too. She saw the mess of blood on the floor, but had luckily just missed seeing the bodies. "What's the plan?"

Lin had no plan. "Is Asami with you?"

"She's waiting in the car… too many crime scenes these past few weeks."

"There were two victims this time," Lin said, filling her in. "But one of them was an elderly woman. We estimate about 50 to 60 years old. No doubt just caught in the crossfire."

Korra's heart dropped. "That's terrible."

Lin couldn't agree more. She couldn't understand how Hattori could have been so heartless - there was no way the broken man she talked to back at the station could have done something like that. Then it dawned on her.

"That damned spirit," she said. "Sha-Garou, I'm sure he just took over Hattori."

"So its power is growing," Korra said. "Eventually he'll just take over Hattori for good. Probably after the last Equalist is dead."

"We need to stop it," she remembered the conversation she had with Toph. "We need to find some way to get the spirit out of him. Who in the world knows anything about shadow spirits?"

There was one place they still had left to try. "We might find something in the Spirit World," Korra said. "It might be a dead end, but it's our only hope."

Lin nodded. "You're probably right. But how will we find Hattori anyway?"

"I think I got something for that," Mako said. "I may have figured out who the last target is."

The Chief let out a sigh of relief. "Finally some good news."

* * *

They drove up to the spirit portal in the city, its bright light towering above every building. Bolin and Opal had also showed up - they needed all the help they could get if they were going to try and find what they needed in the spirit world.

"What if we find a mean spirit?" Bolin asked.

"You don't have to outrun the spirits, you just have to outrun us," Korra said.

Bolin gulped. "What?"

Korra grinned. "I'm just messing with you. Is everyone ready?"

They nodded before stepping through the portal together. As the light enveloped them, they felt a tingling sensation, the city around them disappearing as they closed their eyes. When they reopened them, they were in the spirit world.

Though she'd been here many times before, it never ceased to baffle Korra how beautiful it all was. They were immediately surrounded by tiny flying spirits greeting the newcomers with tiny squeaks, swarming around them before going about their business.

"Woah!" Opal said, looking all around her.

"Yeah, yeah, very beautiful," Lin said, interrupting everyone's daydreaming. "Stay focused people. We need to find someone or something that can help us."

"Hmm… if you were a shadow spirit, where would you go?" Korra asked.

"In the shadows," Bolin answered.

The Avatar looked around. "Ok, does anyone see any shadows?"

"Korra, don't panic, but there's one right behind you," Asami said, nodding towards the Avatar's own shadow.

"Quick! Talk to it!"

"Oh cut it out!" The Chief started walking without them, and Mako was already following her.

"You two are no fun!" Bolin called out, before the rest of them jogged along to catch up.

They walked along the path, hoping to eventually come to something that looked promising. Lin was leading them, and took a turn towards what looked to be a dense forest. She hadn't condoned their joking around, but it was a valid point that shadow spirits would stick to shadowy places.

As they headed further into the woods, the trees towered above them, and their thick leaves started obscuring more and more of the light. The forest floor was littered with strange mushrooms that gave off itchy, yellow spores that made Bolin sneeze every few minutes.

"Are we there yet?" he asked. "I don't like this place."

The Chief didn't answer, but it was mainly because she didn't know. She couldn't even tell for how long they had been walking by this point, but she realized they hadn't seen a single spirit in a long time now.

"This place feels strange," Korra said. "It's like it's-"

Lin swung at a few thick branches that stood in their way, moving them apart so they could walk through them. As they crossed through to the other side, they spotted chunks of broken stone at their feet - jagged blocks that looked like they had shattered from something bigger. Their eyes drifted upwards, and before them were the remnants of an immense stone temple, its walls broken and its roof littered with trees that had grown through it. The inscription into the stone were faded and none of them could read them, but the doors that had once been sealed hung off at an angle, their hinges having broken in time.

"-like it's hiding something," Korra finished.

They took the sight in for a few moments.

"Should we go in, Lin?" Mako asked.

The Chief took a moment to regain herself before answering. "Yes. Of course. This looks promising."

Cautiously, they snuck through the ajar doors, squinting to try and see in the darkness. Small beams of light came through the broken roof, and they were barely enough for them to make out their surroundings. Mako had lit up a small flame to get some light in there, but a sudden gust of wind, seemingly from out of nowhere snuffed that idea out.

The group walked through the large, open room, littered with boulders and blocks of stone that had fallen from the walls.

Bolin felt something move at his feet. "AGH!" He jumped to the side, kicking at the empty air.

"What? Are you ok?" Opal asked.

"There was something like… a snake. I thought it coiled around my ankle."

The airbender looked at his feet, but there was nothing there.

"I'm not seeing any snakes Bo."

"Either way, something sure as heck brushed against me!"

"How many times do I have to tell you to quit fooling around!" Lin snapped. "A man's life is at stake here! And the lives of so many more people if that spirit gets its way!"

"But-"

"No buts Bolin! Just focus for once!"

"Aunt Lin, we have been-" Opal began, but Lin cut her off.

"Can all of you please just take this seriously?!" her voice bellowed through the temple, echoing off its empty walls.

The crew gulped, looking at the angry Chief, not daring to move an inch, they all knew how much pressure she had been in, but it looked like it was boiling over with her.

"Aunt Lin, relax…" Opal said, her hand out to the Chief, trying to calm her down, knowing the issue with Hattori was bothering her the most, she herself was still trying to wrap her mind around the subject too.

" _What a racket."_

"Who said that?" Lin turned around, but she couldn't see anyone.

" _Are you humans ever quiet?"_

The Chief, along with the others, tried to follow the direction of the voice, looking around her frantically for its source but she couldn't see anything.

"Who's there?"

The crew took up their fighting stances, expecting whatever that was to pounce on them at any moment.

" _You're an entertaining bunch, I'll give you that."_

"Show yourself!" Korra yelled into the darkness.

" _Well… since you asked…"_ The crew followed the sound, watching the shadows carefully. _"...Avatar Korra."_

Their eyes widened as they saw the figure walking out of the darkness. It looked exactly like Korra as it approached them.

"W-What are you?" the Avatar asked.

" _I'm the Avatar."_ The creature impersonating her grinned. _"And you've gotta deal with it."_

Korra lashed out at it, only for her arm to move right through it, watching as the creature dispersed and vanished into thin air.

"What the-"

The being chuckled.

"Hey! Come back out!" Lin shouted. "Tell us what you are!"

" _Ohh… if it isn't the chief of police herself…"_

They watched as the creature came out as Lin, faking a disgruntled face and dramatically waving her arms angrily. _"How could you hide this from me, mother?! When were you going to tell us?! You don't mean that I'm his SISTER, do you mother?"_ She made herself snort and cackle with how good she thought her impression was.

Lin was stunned. _"How… How do you know?"_

" _Oh, naive little humans. Like Sha-Garou, I know everything about you."_ The shadows dispersed around the room, moving quickly around them so they didn't know where to look anymore. Eventually they congregated back together, forming a vaguely human silhouette with bright glowing red eyes. _"I'm Khu-Shui. The shadow spirit you've been looking for."_

They stared at her for a few moments. Though the shadows had gathered into a female form, the edges of her body were constantly undulating, like waves of smoke coming off of a fire.

" _You want to help Hattori, don't you?"_

"Yes. Is there a way to get Sha-Garou out of him?" Lin asked.

The spirit looked straight at Korra. _"There is. And you can do it."_

"What?"

Khu-Shui summoned a tiny shadow in her hand, a part of her own self. The ball of darkness was contained in her palm. _"Simple, energy bending, Avatar. You've done it before."_

Korra looked at her bewildered. "Tha-That's it?"

She reached out, ready to hand Korra the ball of shadow. _"Yes, now focus on this. Control it."_

The Avatar held her palm out, but as soon as the spirit let go the shadow spilt onto her hand and dispersed away.

" _You're not trying hard enough."_

"I barely understand energy bending myself! Excuse me if I'm a little rusty!"

" _You need a little more… incentive."_ With that, Khu-Shui disappeared again, and the crew was unable to follow the shadows that spread around them.

Without warning, a bolt of darkness was flung towards Korra.

"AHH!" She threw her arms out in front of her to protect herself, only to find that she had stopped the spirit dead in her tracks. She heard her chuckle from the darkness.

" _See? I told you so."_

Korra gulped. She knew where this was going. She was supposed to bend Sha-Garou out of Hattori, like what she did getting Raava out of Vaatu and Unalaq.

"Will this work?" Lin asked. "Will this save Hattori?"

" _Well, I don't know about your brother's life, Lin Beifong, but it will banish Sha-Garou…"_ The spirit grinned again, her female form appearing behind Lin. _"Until he finds someone else to do his bidding."_

" _Then how do we actually stop Sha-Garou, what is his weakness?"_ Opal asked herself.

" _Sorry, not even I am aware of my kind's weaknesses. Even then, why ruin the surprise?"_

"Why do you want to help us?" Asami said, approaching the dark spirit. "What's in it for you? Are we gonna enter a pact with you too?"

" _You're so cynical, Miss Sato. Or are you Mrs. Sato now?"_ She chuckled to herself again, seeing the surprised look on Asami's face. _"Shadow spirits are not the loyal kind if you will. Sha-Garou would sell me out all the same if he had the chance. We've always been at each other's throats, I could only revel in seeing his plans ruined."_

"So that's the only way to free Hattori. If he even survives," Korra said.

"It's worth a shot." There was no way for Lin to tell the time in here, so she knew they had to hurry. "We best get back."

" _And not even a thank you?"_ The spirit spun around them in the air. _"You humans are so rude."_

"Thank you for your help, Khu-Shui." Korra said, giving a respectful bow, sensing that the spirit was giving one back. At least, she hoped the spirit was helping them and not just lying to them.

As they turned to leave, Khu-Shui had one last thing on her mind. She cut Mako off, appearing to him as Thuy.

"' _Ello!"_ She spoke in her voice. _"No leather jacket this time, handsome?"_

The firebender went red in the face and stuttered. It didn't go unnoticed by the crew.

"Wait, does Mako have a girlfriend now?" Asami asked.

"Yeah!" Bolin replied. "She totally kicks ass."

"Guys, shut up," Mako said, trying to hide his blush in the darkness.

Even Lin sniggered a little. "Gotta say, she does remind me of a certain Avatar. Looks like you've got a type."

The firebender crossed his arms and sulked, refusing to look anyone in the eye as the crew giggled at his expense as did the dark spirit, its eyes focused as they left.

She knew from here things had now changed and now two possible outcomes would happen… and she also knew regardless, the humans may more than likely need her help once more in the future.

But until then, she sulked back in the shadows, waiting…

* * *

As the group exited the portal, the sensation of going between both worlds going down their spines, the first thing the group saw were both Kya and Toph waiting outside the portals.

"Mother, Kya, what are you two doing here?" Lin asked as Toph stepped close, feeling the power of the portal so close to her.

"We figured out where Hattori is headed." Kya said, approaching the group, looking at Toph. "Me and your mother, we looked up Tarkik's name in the records, we know where Hattori's heading."

"Where?" Korra asked as Toph pointed in a direction.

"There…" She said, her finger in the direction of Future Industries, confusing Asami.

"Wait, over at my company?"

"No, but nearby is an apartment complex where Tarkik lives." Kya explained as Korra looked up at the sun, still up in the sky.

"He's waiting, waiting until at least dusk, then he'll make the attack." Mako said as he looked up too, knowing what the Avatar was thinking.

"Where he'll have plenty of access to shadows." Bolin gulped, knowing what could happen. "BUT… we're with you Korra." He said, looking at his friend.

"Same here." Opal said as the others began saying the same things.

"Toph…" Korra began, looking at the earthbending master. "We were told by another shadow spirit that to free Hattori from Sha-Garou, I'd have to get close and use energy bending to extract it from his body."

"That's great news!" Toph said, happy to hear the news until Lin put her hand on her mother's shoulder. While she wasn't able to see, she knew that Lin's silence meant otherwise. "Right?"

"The spirit said it would free Hattori, but we don't know if he'll survive the process." Lin began saying to her mother, actually hoping for the most positive outcome. "Remember, Sha-Garou is the reason why he's back from the dead in the first place.."

Just the idea of it caught Toph in a bind, but she closed her eyes and put her own hand onto Lin's shoulder, opening them back up.

"As long as my son, your brother is freed from that fucking spirit's influence, I can live with what happens."

That earned a sincere smile from Lin. "Half-Brother." She said, which of course got her mother to give a snort in approval. Then she looked towards the direction where their next destination was, feeling Kya's hand holding hers, ready to fight by her lover's side.

"This is our endgame, we can't let Sha-Garou win." Korra said, knowing what rough battle was ahead, taking Asami's hand into hers too.

As the seven began to make their way towards the apartment, another was on his way towards it, sticking to the shadows as best as he could to avoid detection.

At this point however, Hattori was having himself second thoughts, thoughts he was not caring that Sha-Garou knew about, but all of this has been bugging him.

It's true, he wanted everyone of those Equalist bastards dead, and wanted to take their lives with his very hands.

Yet what was all of this getting him? Republic City's finest on his trail, having to fight off the Avatar, her friends and his own flesh and blood, the pressure was growing more and more every second.

None more so than the Shadow Spirit in him demanding he honor their agreement. The sudden interest of his reluctant partner wanting the job done, even forcing itself to take over was making the one-eyed man question it more.

It scared him… and Hattori knew that Sha-Garou knew it as well, and there was not a thing he could about it except for doing the deed.

Especially as the only other choice was going back into the flames, surrounded by all his mistakes.

And yet, at the very same time, in the apartment complex everyone was headed towards, a man was telling his husband of many years to go visit his parents and stay with them for the time being.

Tarkik wanted to explain why he wanted his loved one to leave their home for an indefinite amount of time, to admit to the hate he committed in the past as an Equalist, all the lives he ruined, the deaths of a best friend and his family he helped cover up, the betrayal that led to those deaths.

But the man couldn't do it, to put all this burden on his love, giving him a kiss goodbye before seeing him off, leaving the well dressed man to walk back into his apartment alone, closing the door behind him and taking a seat at a table, where two glasses and a bottle of Earth Kingdom wine sat, pouring himself a glass as he waited.

Waited for the Equalist Ripper, Hattori Hanzo, his former best friend, to come for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, next chapter is the beginning of the end... how will things go? Who knows, guess you'll all see. XD
> 
> And Khu-Shui the other Shadow Spirit, she was a character who was not part of the original fanfic when me and another writer wrote it, but I'm glad me and Countconiine created her, a nice little contrast to Sha-Garou, in more ways than one. XD Of all people, I told coniine I totally saw Wendie Malick (EDA THE OWL LADY! XD Sorry, love "The Owl House") as her and she loved the idea, so better read her dialog in her voice.


	15. Chapter Fourteen- Endgame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a bit of a Trigger warning due to the amount of violence in this chapter and PTSD. So just a heads up.

Tarkik jumped at any sounds he could hear. The cars outside, the birds fluttering - everything made him on edge thinking it was Hattori. As much as he wanted to accept his fate, he still dreaded it. 

He took another sip of wine with a shaky hand and as he looked up from his glass he noticed the trickle of shadow seeping under his door. He was here. He gulped, but didn’t stand, just watching as Hattori took form by his front door. 

“I knew you’d come,” Tarkik said, setting the glass down. “It’s been a long time, Hattori.” 

The shadowbender walked towards him, seeing the two glasses laid out on the table. 

“A drink?” Tarkik offered. 

Hattori considered it for a moment. He looked at his old best friend, and the anger he felt inside him dwindled just for a second. "Eh, why not,” he said, taking a seat opposite him. 

_“This better not take long…”_ He heard Sha-Garou say in his head, but he ignored him. 

Tarkik poured him some wine and sighed. “I… I don’t even know where to start. I just know that the pain you went through I… I couldn’t imagine it.”

Hattori nodded. “Unbearable is the word you’re thinking of.” He took a sip of his drink before looking at the label on the bottle. "Good year".

“I just need to tell you I’m sorry, SO sorry, for everything. I regret what I did ever since that night, I really do,” he averted his gaze, looking down and swirling his wine in the glass. “But I know that won’t get them back.”

Images of his Ula and Karai flashed before his eyes. Their happy, laughing faces seemed like such a distant memory now. “I was so stupid…” Hattori started. “If it weren’t for me joining the Equalists, my daughter and wife would still be alive. Guess we both have regrets.”

“We do, I also regret joining up and I…” his throat went dry and his palms started sweating, “Some nights, I wish that I never dodged your attack, that I was the one you stabbed, not them." Tarkik shakily said, only to give a deep breath. "But I accept what you’ve got to do to put them right. I know you have to kill me.”

“I need to find peace again, Tarkik.”

“I understand.” The former Equalist leaned back in his seat. “We all have our own ways of finding it.”

Killing Tarkik would also not bring back his beloved family, but he needed to avenge them, if anything just to quench the burning anger and resentment that he still felt. Or did he? He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he downed the last of his wine. He had come so far, was he really going to stop now? To make things worse, Sha-Garou’s nagging was only getting louder now, as the spirit was growing increasingly impatient. 

He looked back into his friend’s eyes. Life was so unbelievably cruel, and they both felt its full force.

“You’re a changed man, Tarkik,” Hattori said, his voice low and quiet now. “I was robbed of my happiness that day. I just hope you’ve still got yours.” He stood up and turned to leave. On the mantelpiece, he spotted the photo of Tarkik with whom Hattori assumed was his husband and two teenage children. They looked happy. At least one of them still had that.

_“What are you doing, fool? Turn back around and kill this traitor!”_

A loud crash in the living room stopped him dead in his tracks before Hattori could respond. Before he knew it, he saw the door lying broken on the floor, and none other than Lin walking into the apartment, followed by the others. 

“Hattori!” She yelled. “Stop!”

He chuckled. “I knew you’d be here, sister.”

“Hattori, please listen!” She pleaded. 

"Relax, he's-"

“When the pact with Sha-Garou is complete, he will take over your body for good! It’s what he wanted all along!” 

Hattori frowned. That hadn’t been his understanding of the agreement at all. 

"Excuse me?" He asked.

_“Enough fooling around! End this man’s life!”_

“You have to fight him, Hattori!” Lin continued.

"What's going on here?" Tarkik asked as he was confused by this turn of events.

"Wait, are you Tarkik?" Korra asked to which she saw the older man nod, realizing what this meant as she looked at a confused Hattori. "That means you-"

"I'm sorry, what is this about Sha-Garou wanting my body?" The one-eyed man questioned.

 _"Ignore her!"_ The dark spirit hissed out with Hattori having none of it

"SHUT IT!"

"He's been manipulating you this entire time," Korra began to explain. "Sha-Garou says he'd help you get revenge, but that's what powers him. Your rage drew him to you and by becoming his vessel, he'll never leave you." 

"And if you killed Tarkik, then he would have taken over your body, for good!” Toph said, to which everyone else saw her son's single eye go wide in a mixture of surprise and building anger.

That was never brought up Hattori thought to himself, the very idea enraging him

"... Are they right?... Are they telling the truth?! Have you been wanting to steal my body this entire time? ANSWER ME YOU BASTARD!"

Just then, a loud laugh of pure evil rang all through the apartment for everyone to hear as the shadows around them shook like they were alive.

 _"I wanted to leave it a surprise, but since you asked…"_ Sha-Garou's low voice rang out before it came out again, this time seeming to come from where Hattori stood. _"Yes…"_

This answer made the one eyed man shake his head, realizing he had been played this entire time, having to give a laugh at how obvious it was. "That thing about sending me back into the flames, you were bluffing, I should have known…"

In an act of defiance, Hattori gave a smug grin as he approached Lin, arms out, wrists together.

"But you can't take over my body if I don't kill him.."

But Sha-Garou laughed once more with his dark voice.

 _"Hattori, did you forget about a certain ability of mine?"_ The spirit asked before Hattori watched his hands spread apart as did Lin, his worried eye matching hers as his eye began to turn back and forth from gold to red.

"Oh…"

"SHIT!" Lin finished for her brother as the shadowbender felt his body move against his own will, taking out his Katana and rushing towards a shocked Tarkik, whom Bolin tackled out of the blade's path.

"Woah!" The Earthbender yelled out, having almost taken the hit himself.

_“Get over here!”_

The dark spirit moved and jerked an unwilling Hattori’s body and limbs around to look back at Tarkik, coming at him again with the weapon, Bolin again moving the non-bender out of the way before quickly bending some stone from the wall to block another attack.

“Cut it out man, I’m on your side, maybe!?” Bolin yelled out, blocking another attempt on Tarkik’s life as Hattori grunted at the movements out of his control.

“I know, but i’m not doing this!” He yelled back before suddenly seeing his body now aim the katana at Bolin, knowing what was next. “Get out of the way, GET OUTTA THE WAY!”

Bolin didn’t need to be told twice as moved out of the way of an overhead slice, just missing his face.

“Uncle Hattori, fight back!” Opal yelled out, trying to use her airbending to make a ring of wind to surround her newly known uncle, which failed as Hattori felt himself sink into the shadow and rise up behind Opal, trying to prevent using his sword on her.

“Wait, uncle? When did Lin have a kid?!” Hattori asked as Sha-Garou tried pushing her out of the way, but she jumped over him and tried to wrap his hands up behind his back.

“No, I'm, well, the DAUGHTER-WOAH!” The airbender yelled out as Hattori’s legs forced him and her to run towards the wall, with the Shadowbender forcibly running up the wall and flipping over his niece, who managed to grapple him again. “Of your other sister!”

“Right, Suyin! Look...“ The one-eyed man grunted out as his body struggled against his own will. “Maybe we can talk more about family members I haven’t met when some spirit isn’t trying to take over my BODY!” He yelled out, forced to throw the girl against the wall hard, grimacing at the sight. “Oh, that’s not good!”

“Don’t let him control you!” Mako yelled out as Sha-Garou saw him coming and held Hattori’s hand out to his neck, grabbing it and began choking him with it as Hattori was forced to watch his fist collide with Mako’s face not once, not twice, but three times.

“Sorry, sorry, SORRY!” He cried out with each punch, apologizing and feeling horrible for this happening before feeling Mako kick him in the gut hard, causing Sha-Garou to let go and free his grasp.

Now Mako was getting annoyed and began to course lightning through his fingers and fired it at Hattori, who against his own will bended the shadows into a shield, dispersing the attack.

“Mako, don’t kill him!” Toph yelled out at that happening.

“I wasn’t aiming to, just trying to make him pass out!” The firebender yelled back before Hattori’s hands grabbed him and threw him over his shoulders to the ground as Hattori’s face looked regretful.

“Could have fooled me!”

 _“Oh, SHUT UP ALREADY!”_ Sha-Garou’s dark voice yelled out before making the Shadowbender forcibly summon several tentacles from every shadow in the apartment, looking at Tarkik, who had been forced behind the others. _“HERE I AM FORCED TO DO YOUR WORK!”_ It screamed as the tentacles tried making various attacks towards the former Equalist, only for them to be prevented by the crew. _“ALL BECAUSE YOU HAD TO HAVE A CHANGE OF HEART!”_

“Does anyone know a way to stop this asshole!?!” Hattori yelled out before feeling his body jump through one shadow and popping out another near Tarkik and Kya, with Sha-Garou bending the shadows over his hand again into the sharp claw, slashing at them as the water bender master blocked them with bursts of ice. “WOAH, that’s a new one!” He said before Kya and Korra bended the water all around Hattori’s body and froze it into place, leaving just his head out in the open, though sighing in happiness that Sha-Garou had no way of moving his body around.

“Oh thank the spirits…”

 _“NO! THANK ME! I WAS THE ONE WHO GOT YOU OUT OF THE FLAMES! WITHOUT ME, YOU’D BE ANOTHER CORPSE ROTTING IN THE WATER!”_ Sha-Garou growled out as he suddenly took control of Hattori as seen by his bloodshot yellow eye before it turned back to normal.

“Again, does anyone know of a way to stop him?” Hattori asked, frightened that he lost control again.

“There is one way…” Korra began in a weary tone as the Shadowbender nodded his head like crazy hearing it.

“Okay, tell me!”

“I’m gonna attempt to energy bend Sha-Garou out of you, separate you two.”

“Alright, good, I can work with that…” He said, completely for the idea. “Question, what is energybend-”

“BUT, you may not survive it, seeing as he’s the reason you’re back from the dead in the first place.” Korra finished, making the one-eyed man gulp in surprise.

_“NO! IT’S NOT POSSIBLE!”_

“Know what, screw it, do it now!” Hattori, after some quick thought, agreed to it, at this point not wanting the spirit to take over his body and get rid of his mind.

“Wait, are you sure?” Lin asked, rushing over to Hattori who closed his eye, struggling with keeping the spirit from controlling him more. “Like she said-”

“I KNOW what she said…” The Shadowbender interrupted, opening his eye and giving a brief, if strained smile. “And you know what, I'm okay with the chances, i’d rather die getting him out of me instead of possibly harming those I’ve… grown to care for… sister.”

 _“No, YOU CAN’T ALLOW THIS!”_ Sha-Garou’s voice screamed out from the shadows. 

“FUCK YOU, IT’S HAPPENING!” Hattori yelled out before turning his head at Toph. “I’m so happy I could at least meet you and Lin.” He saw his mother get a bit misty eyed, but smiled, nodding at this. “Okay Avatar, do it-”

 _“No… NO… NNOO!!!”_ The Shadow Spirit, through Hattori now, screamed in anger, the shadows shaking more like an earthquake before a large burst of shadows bashed against the ice, cracking it. _“I HAVE NOT DEALT WITH YOUR PRATTLING FOR SO LONG, JUST TO LOSE!”_

Once more, the vibrations of the shadows shook the room, causing various breakable objects to fall and shatter on the floor, including some bottles of liquor.

 _“You can’t get rid of me, I am eternal, I am forever, I am UNSTOPPABLE!”_ Sha-Garou screamed out, the burst of shadows smashing against the ice, finally breaking enough for him to get Hattori’s body freed.

To make matters worse, more objects fell around the crew, including some lit candles, which fell and rolled on the ground near some curtains and the spilled liquor, igniting both as flames began to raise all of them.

“No!” Tarkik yelled out, realizing what was happening to his home as he helped Mako, Bolin and Opal get up, seeing the flames engulf large parts of it.

“Oh no, nonono…” Hattori said as he took back control briefly before grappling his head, screaming in pain as the struggle was made harder for him. “STOP IT, GET THE FUCK OUT OF ME!”

“Hattori, you’re the one who forgave me for my mistakes!” His old former friend said, approaching and kneeling in front of him. “You’re in control, not this evil spirit, don’t let-”

“TARKIK! GET AWAY FROM HIM!” Korra, having too noticed the apartment going into flames, cried out when she seen the man approach the other, yet just as suddenly, Tarkik briefly saw Hattori’s eye go red and yellow once more...

Only to feel suddenly felt a sharp jab in the side of his upper right chest.

“NOO!!” Lin yelled out as Tarkik looked down to see the shadow claw over Hattori’s hand stabbed indeed in his chest, looking to be around his right lung as blood began dripping out of it.

Then Sha-Garou made the one-eyed man grin evilly as he threw the final target against the burning wall, smashing his body through it into the next room as everyone looked in shock at the scene, seeing as Hattori seemed to have stood up among the burning environment.

But now the spirit’s laughter rang out louder than anything before, having just completed the final part of his plan.

“No!” Opal called out, dashing after the former Equalist, but they all watched in horror as the roof of the next room started to collapse, and two large metal beams fell down onto where they saw his body land. 

Sha-Garou let out a wicked laugh. _“It is too late. The pact will be complete.”_

He then frowned. He should have felt alone in Hattori's body by now. What was taking so long? 

His eye widened as he felt the gust of wind ruffle his hair. He heard Tarkik coughing, struggling to sit up from the floor, the metal beams floating in the air on a sphere of air. Opal was at its center, airbending to keep him safe, a pained look on her face as she struggled to keep them up. 

_"NOOO!"_ Sha-Garou bellowed, but lost concentration on the others as he watched the scene and was taken by surprise. 

He saw the bolt of fire coming from the Avatar towards him, and only barely managed to deflect it with a shadow. The impact threw him off balance and he stumbled backwards. 

Lin hurried to her niece, metalbending the beams away from them. 

"We need to get him out of here," Lin said. 

Kya ran up behind her. "I've got him. I'll make sure he lives. You deal with Sha-Garou." She helped the injured man up, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, limping out of the apartment. 

_"NO! HE'S MINE!"_ Sha-Garou yelled desperately but before he could do anything Lin clasped a metal wire around his wrists, holding him in place from being able to summon a shadow towards Kya. 

He struggled against the binding for a moment, as Mako hurled another bolt of lightning towards him. He leaped out of the way, letting the bolt hit the wall, leaving a deep scorch mark. He could see the Chief was struggling to hold his hands in place, so he yanked strongly, pulling her forwards and making her lose her balance, loosening the bindings enough for him to break them apart. 

The spirit lifted up a large shadow hand and hurled it at the Chief, throwing her across the room against the couch. She rolled off it with a thud, grunting in pain. 

He spun round to the others, red eye glowing in the rising smoke. Shadow tentacles rose around him, eyeing his targets. 

Bolin spotted a smashed flower pot on the window sill. He molded the soil into a tight, compact ball and hurled it at the shadow spirit like a glorified snowball, only for him to slap it out the way with a shadowy appendage and laugh. The earth ball rolled onto the floor behind him. 

_"Feeble attempt, earthbender..."_

Korra and Mako followed up with a flurry of firebolts, but Sha-Garou surrounded himself with shadows, and their bending was blocked as he walked towards them. 

_"Don't get in my way again, Avatar."_

He readied his next attack, heightening the tentacles high above them, ready to strike them down. There was nowhere to run in the tight apartment. 

The shadow spirit grunted, his body frozen and stopped dead in its tracks. His face contorted in pain for a moment, and the shadows shrinked away with it.

"Ha!" Toph laughed. Everyone's eyes were drawn to the earthy snowball she had driven between his legs from beneath him. "How's THAT for a feeble attempt?"

His red eye glowed brighter as he bared his teeth. He let out a roar as he raged, throwing shards of shadows at them, forcing them to jump sideways across the apartment, cowering against the walls out of the way of his attacks. 

The spirit was interrupted, knocked forwards by a blast of hot air. His back burned, and he turned to see Opal airbending through the flames. She struck him again, jabbing the air so he was forced to back away further. He raised his arms, summoning more shadows to pin her down, only to be knocked again by the same scorching air coming from behind him. The Avatar had followed Opal’s lead, and he struggled to focus on everyone at once. 

He lost concentration for a moment, struggling to stay upright against the air strikes, and before he could regain control of the shadows, he felt the sharp edge of a blade pressed on his throat. He looked down, bewildered, only to see Lin, bruised from the fall, metal bending a kitchen knife under his chin. 

“Don’t move,” she said. She was out of breath, and the smoke from the fire was stinging her lungs. They all had to get out of there soon. 

_“Oh, sister…”_ The spirit imitated Hattori’s voice.

“I’m not your sister. You’re not Hattori. You’ve lost, Sha-Garou.”

The shadow spirit glanced to his side. The window had been shattered in the fight. _“Is that so?”_ he said, a grin slowly spreading on his lips. _“I don’t lose, Chief Beifong. If I can’t have this body, I will merely find another. You on the other hand…”_ He didn’t finish, his wide grin growing more wicked. Before they could understand what was happening the shadows in the room enveloped the crew and Sha-Garou jumped backwards out of the apartment, taking them with him. 

They yelled as they plummeted downwards, the sidewalk below them getting closer and closer. Everyone’s lives flashed before their eyes, until Korra and Opal broke their fall, airbending them down as gently as they could, though they still crashed down with a thud. 

In the process, they couldn’t help but save Sha-Garou too, who had been among them all along. 

He chuckled as they all struggled to stand back up, the pain of the fall flowing through their bones. 

_“Time for the real fun to begin."_

Hattori's body contorted as the spirit demanded more control. Shadows enveloped him, surrounding him in a dark misty shroud as he lifted himself a few feet off the ground, gliding on the sea of darkness at his soles. His eye glowed eerily, his pupil gone into what was just one, large scarlet iris. Shadow appendages sprouted from his back writhing around him as he looked at each one of them in turn. 

_"I warned you not to get in my way."_

"Oh enough with that shit!" Toph said. She lifted up a boulder of earth and flung it towards the shadowbender, only for him to effortlessly glide to the side with the agility of an airbender. Toph was confused for a moment. What the hell was he doing? 

_"You're no match for a shadow spirit, you old bitch..."_ he growled. 

The shadow arms from his back sprung forward and grabbed each one of them. Their grip was strong and unrelenting, and no matter how much they struggled they couldn't pry themselves free. 

_"Weak, puny humans."_ the shadow spirit lamented. 

He lifted them into the air as their arms were bound under the shadowy veils that engulfed them. He squeezed tighter and tighter until they found it difficult to breathe. 

_“You’ll regret ever trying to stop me.”_

A satomoblie passed them on the road besides them, having slowed down, seeing the horrific fight unfold. In the dark, their bright headlights were almost blinding, and the light fell right onto Sha-Garou. 

The spirit grunted, trying to shield himself from it but it was too late. He had momentarily lost his strength and let go of the crew, letting them fall back to the ground. Realizing what he’d done, he rose a shadow up from under the car, heaving it up into the air just after it’s driver got out, overturning it in the opposite direction and smashed it into a nearby wall, so its light wouldn’t bother him. 

“Now!” Korra yelled, and the benders threw everything they had at the spirit at once. As he turned his attention back to them, his eye widened at the mess of elements coming his way and try as he might he couldn’t dodge them all. He was knocked back against the sidewalk, falling down on his knees and steadying himself with his hand as he looked up menacingly.

Korra sent forward a flurry of fire kicks, and with a swipe of his hand he dispersed the fire apart with a shadow tentacle before rising again. He shifted out of the way of a bolt of lightning and seeing Opal rise above him with her airbending and sending a flurry of strikes towards him, he disappeared down into a pool of shadows, emerging on the other side of the crew, managing to kick Opal away to the ground hard. 

_“You could never defeat m-ARGH!”_ He felt a jolt of electricity course through him, his body twitching with every volt. Damn human bodies. He looked down at Asami’s pressed glove onto him and snarled, forcing himself to move against the energy and hurling her away with a shadowy arm.

Sha-Garou breathed heavily as the engineer steadied herself against the wall of the building. Sparks of electricity still bounced off him as his muscles stung with a burning pain.

_“I'm gonna enjoy slowly ripping you apart in front of your lover…”_

Korra, having heard the threat, immediately capitalized on this and sent a ball of fire in his direction, knocking him to the ground. 

This caused Sha-Garou’s attention to focus on the Avatar, giving out a massive roar of anger, coming right at her with the shadow claws, slashing at her as she avoided the attacks, until she rose up her hand to shield the attack with a shield of stone she got from the ground. It was no use as the claw smashed through the stone and got one sharp finger right into her left hand, making her scream in horrible pain as she grasped her bloody hand.

“FUCK!” Korra yelled out as she turned away, Sha-Garou coming towards her with unbaited breath, but it was a trap as Korra swiftly drove her foot up with a firetrail following it, kicking the spirit right in the face, disorienting it just enough for her to rush and tackle the dark spirit into the ground.

Then she began delivering blow after blow with her fists into its face, at this point not caring that she was beating a possessed man. She was just trying to keep him down long enough, so she could use her energy bending on him.

But she was also doing this course of action for the spirit harming her fiance and friends, for all the people harmed due to the evil spirit, innocent or not.

But in the middle of her repeating punches, Sha-Garou moved his hand, ready to control the shadows once more, when he noticed the hand wasn’t doing what he wanted it to do.

In fact, neither was his other hand, like it was losing control, like it was…

Then it dawned on Sha-Garou’s mind as Korra kept going that Hattori was taking back control! All because Tarkik was still alive! But before it could think more, he then felt a sudden force of pain crush down onto his hand, screaming.

Looking up, Sha-Garou saw it was due to the metal boot worn by Lin, a bruise on her cheek and a scratch on her forehead as she looked down at the spirit.

“Don’t even fucking think about it, NOW KORRA!”

It then quickly dawned on Sha-Garou that Lin’s foot on it’s hand wasn’t to stop him from bending the shadows, it was a distraction, looking up just to see Korra’s eyes turn glowing blue and white followed by the rest of her body.

 _“No… NO!!”_ It yelled out in it’s inhuman voice, but it was no use as the glowing blue hands grasped the sides of his head, Korra leaning back as the shadows that were engulfing Hattori began to slowly shrink, moving towards the head, where Sha-Garou resided in him.

The Avatar, with a pull of the arms, then ripped what looked like a sickly black ball of moving shadow from Hattori’s mouth, Sha-Garou’s screams still ringing, burning against the Avatar’s glowing touch until she threw it to the side, the shadow trying to move, only to stop after a few seconds, looking like it was deflating.

With that done with, Korra closed her eyes as the glow vanished from her body, leaving her back to normal as she rolled off to the side on her back, though trying to stay up with her arms.

Energy bending took a lot out of her, but Korra wasn’t out just yet, she had to make sure about something.

“Asami… Asami?!” She called out, looking to where Asami, though obviously in pain judging by her holding her arm and the little nicks and scratches on her face, managed to get up.

“I’m alive… little in pain, but i’ll manage..”

Korra didn’t care, rushing over with as much power in her to her love, hugging her the second she was close enough, Asami returning the favor, neither caring that it actually hurt to hug each other, just happy the other was okay, confirming it with a loving kiss on each other’s lips.

“Don’t worry, we’re alive!” Mako’s voice rang out as he too groaned in pain, rising up after the fall from the apartment.

“Yeah, don’t let us ruin your moment!” Bolin also cried out, sitting up and holding his bleeding leg, even if it was just a minor skinned knee.

While they regrouped and helped each other up, with Asami wrapping some cloth around Korra’s bleeding hand, Lin kept her eyes on Hattori, who hadn’t moved an inch since Sha-Garou was removed from him.

She had to be sure, she needed to know.

“Hey kiddo…” Toph’s voice called out behind Lin, the Chief turning to see her mother walking over slowly, stretching out her back.

“See you’re still standing, Chief.”

“Heh, you know it’ll take more than a three story fall to put this old broad down for good.”

Lin wanted to laugh, she knew her mother was tougher than a two Yuan Hippo Cow steak, but she couldn’t, not yet, not without knowing about her brother.

“You got a heartbeat from him, mother?”

A small beat of silence was in the air as they stood over the body“... no.” Toph finally said, the energy bending process looking to be too much.

“Mother… it’s okay to cry.” Lin said, not wanting to tear up herself, at least till her mother did, just noticing a single tear was forming, so she let out her own, putting her arm around her mother’s shoulders and pulled her in.

“I know…”

“Hey! You guys got rid of him!” Opal’s voice called out, having finally gotten up thanks to Bolin and Kya, the latter who had just got back on the scene, coming to Lin’s side and hugging her.

“So glad you’re okay, all of you… but especially you Lin.” Kya said, a small blush on her cheeks before Lin kissed her to calm her down, if anything, making the water bender blush more as Lin smirked.

“You too Kya. What about Tarkik?”

The water bender nodded, remembering what news she had. “He’ll live, took a bump or two to the head when he went through the wall. And that shadow claw just missed his right lung, but he’ll be okay.”

“Wait, what do you mean ‘Just missed his right lung?” Toph asked as the others, having been hearing Kya talk, came up to them, listening to more of what she had to say

“I mean the way he was stabbed, it was like Sha-Garou missed it on purpose… like maybe Hattori-”

Just then, both Lin and Toph sensed something below them, both hushing up Kya as they focused their seismic sensing, it was like… _a small beat_ … then another… and another.

Both of them looked down at the body in front of them, and saw Hattori looking to stir and move.

“Oh NO, now he’s a ghoul!” Bolin yelled out as he took Opal in his arms, rather hiding behind her to her befuddlement.

“Better, he’s alive!” Toph yelled out as they watched Hattori slowly get up, groaning in pain as he looked at his hand and felt his face was hurting again.

“Ah, dammit! Did Lin punch me in the face again?!”

The amount of relief pouring out of Lin was shocking to say the least as everyone saw, with the exception of Toph, the normally stern woman get down on her knees and hugged her older brother tightly, now crying heavily, leaving said brother even more confused.

“I feel like this doesn’t answer my question.” Hattori noted as he looked at the others before seeing Toph, who herself wanted to make a move, but didn’t wanna show her feelings.

“Toph, just go and hug him.” Korra said, giving a smirk as she nudged the back of the old woman, who no longer hesitated to do, hugging both her son and daughter.

“Gee, wonder if Suyin is this nice.” Hattori said, finally closing his eye and hugging them back, then he looked at Korra, curious about something. “Sha-Garou? Where is he?”

“He’s gone, the energy bending worked, you’re freed of him.” Korra answered back, only to notice something off… the shadows near them were vibrating, her eyes going wide to where Sha-Garou was thrown, he wasn’t there.

_“Avatar Korra…”_

The happy moment was instantly broken the second that evil voice rang out, now seeming to be on a larger scale as it seemed to have surrounded them.

Then they noticed the small orb shaped form of Sha-Garou slink into a nearby shadow, to which rose the form that he made when he took over Hattori’s body.

 _“Credit where it's due, no one has EVER got a shadow spirit out of a human before…”_ The damned spirit said in a rather amused tone, now having two red eyes with small yellow dots in them, until a loud crack was heard as it bended backwards before coming back to normal.

Then, the spirit looked at itself, all as the others witnessed it looking to change into a larger form as Sha-Garou got on his hands and knees, giving a loud gruesome sound that sounded like a howl and hiss as it’s hands turned into claws similar to the one it used earlier to slash people up and it’s legs resembled that of a fully grown wolfcat’s.

_“But that’s all you did, remove me from my vessel, which was a very bad mistake, Avatar…”_

But even worse was Sha-Garou’s head turning from it’s human shape to something more primal, vicious, animal like with rows of sharp and pointed teeth, drooling as it’s tongue lashed, it’s two eyes now multiplying by three, showing six glowing eyes full of hate, similar to an animal’s.

_“You just enabled me to unleash my true form!”_

And with those words said, Sha-Garou began slowly coming towards the group, it’s mouth widely open.

"I err... I didn't mean for that to happen," Korra muttered, looking up at the spirit towering above them.

Sha-Garou roared, opening its jaws wide and swooping down towards her. She threw herself to the side, airbending to break her fall as the spirit's bite narrowly missed. 

"This is for taking over my body!" Hattori yelled, jumping up and swinging his katana downwards towards the shadow beast. 

Sha-Garou's body twitched and a shadow tentacle knocked the blade out his hands before he could strike, leaving him to fall onto the ground, steadying himself on his hands and knees before the spirit, weaponless. His drooling jaws lunged towards him, but were knocked off course by a bolt of fire. 

Mako followed up with another firekick, and the beast was forced back as it growled. It barely looked to be hurt by his bending, only slightly annoyed. 

Hattori hurried to stand, looking for his katana. It had been knocked across the road. 

"Shit!" 

Sha-Garou chuckled, hurling a shadow at the firebender like he swatted a fly. 

_“What are you gonna do, Hattori?"_ He grinned, showing his endless rows of teeth as it turned towards his former host. _"What are you but a useless nonbender? You are nothing without me."_

The beast approached him. He glanced over at his katana out of his reach as the spirit readied his pounce as in some desperate last breath attempt, Hattori held his hand out for his sword. His eye widened when he suddenly felt the handle hit against his skin just as Sha-Garou pounced. 

The spirit noticed Hattori wielding his sword back to him too late, and as he descended down onto him he felt the blade slash across himself, knocking him off to the side, a dark trickle of shadow spurting out of his chest before he regained himself. 

Hattori stared at his blade. _Did he just do what he thought he just did?_

"Son of a… ?" he mouthed out before looking around, yelling out in confusion. "What the fuck just happened?!? How am I able to metalbend?!" 

Sha-Garou stood once more, tilting his head up and letting out an ear piercing howl as shadows rose all around them.

There was no way it could be harmed, the spirit thought to itself as the shadows lashed out at the crew and they sidestepped out of their way, trying to beat them away from them. 

"Can we worry about it later?" Lin yelled back, wrapping a metal wire around the tentacle attacking her, trying to hold it still. She pulled it taught and it cut through the shadow as it writhed, causing it to disperse into the air. 

Korra dodged out of the way of the one terrorising her, rolling across the ground as it slammed down towards her. She kicked fire at it until it disappeared too. "Maybe when I used energy bending on you!" She shouted. "Maybe that did something!"

"It brought out your inner Beifong!" Toph laughed excitedly, throwing rocks at the shadows around her rapidly, sensing them as they rose before they even had a chance to target her. 

"Is that so?" Hattori smiled, deciding to test it out on the perfect target.

He then hurled his katana at Sha-Garou, to the spirit's surprise. It flew towards him, blade first, at an astonishing speed. He just about managed to whirl out of its way.

Hattori took control of the metal, curving it around so it flew back like a boomerang. This time Sha-Garou's eyes widened. He didn't expect that, and he didn't see the blade soon enough so as he dodge it skimmed the side of his body, letting loose a trickle of ghostly shadows out of him as he growled in pain. 

_“Enough games!”_ The spirit bellowed, rising up a shadow tentacle behind Hattori and slamming it down onto him as he focused on catching his sword back. He was trapped under its weight, struggling against it, katana lying at his side. Two shadow arms went to grab the sword, before Lin reached it first, slicing them both away in a swift, smooth motion. 

Hattori looked up, surprised. "Didn't know you handled swords!"

"Apparently _MY_ father knew his way around swords too!" She steadied herself as Sha-Garou hurled a tentacle towards her. She spun out of its way, bringing the sword down against it as she did so, cutting it in two as it dispersed into the air. 

The spirit was running out of patience. _“You are still nothing without me, you hear me? NOTHING!”_ The tentacle on top of Hattori pressed him further into the concrete ground. He struggled to breathe against it, gasping for every breath. 

“Let my son go!” Toph yelled, hurling a boulder towards the spirit. He had been too preoccupied with getting his revenge on Hattori that he hadn’t paid attention, letting the large rock hit his side, knocking him into the road with a grunt. 

Lin swung the sword at the tentacle pinning her half brother down, but before she could reach, a shadow arm knocked her off balance, grabbing the sword from her. 

"MOTHERFU-" she yelled, crashing down onto the ground. 

Another shadow arm grabbed the sword, and the metal snapped in two. 

“NO!” Hattori yelled, seeing the gleaming steel made by the man who raised him as his own snap cleanly under Sha-Garou’s strength before he let the two pieces fall to the ground with a clank. 

Lin changed tactic, and she swung two metal cables around the tentacle pinning Hattori and yanked, using her full weight to pull it off of him. She lifted it an inch, enough for Hattori to squirm out from under it and grab his broken sword, staring at the two pieces in his hands with no idea of what he could do now. 

Sha-Garou pushed the boulder off of him, standing up and panting, leaving behind a crater in the road from where he was crushed. He looked to be running out of steam, but he wasn’t done yet. With a deafening roar he crushed shadows into everything around him, smashing the side of the building, heaving the satomobile and bringing down lampposts wherever he could. His rage boomed as he destroyed everything. 

Bricks started flying off the side of the building and Opal tried to airbend them away from them, but she couldn't stop them all. Bolin grunted as one hit him in the ribs, holding his side and coming down to one knee in pain. 

Asami and Mako stared wide-eyed as the satomobile flew through the air, coming down onto them until Toph blocked its patch with a wall risen out from beneath the concrete. The car shattered, and bits of shrapnel flew. 

Korra caught sight of the lamp post shattering from the shadows, coming down above Lin and Hattori out the corner of her eye. 

"LIN! LOOK OUT!" 

The Chief looked up, but before she knew it, she felt Hattori shoving her out of the way of the falling metal. 

The spirit laughed at the destruction he caused, which made Korra's blood boil. Her eyes went white as she went into her Avatar state, rising up above the ground in a column of airbending, towering above the shadow beast. 

_“You’re not strong enough, Avatar.”_ The spirit snarled, swatting at her with a shadow tentacle. 

She slashed fire towards it, causing it to disperse before it hit her, then roaring and breathing fire down onto Sha-Garou. The spirit braced himself against the shower of flames, digging his claws into the ground as he slid across the concrete, leaving ridges in the road. 

Korra panted, before sending a gust of air into him, causing him to lose contact with the road and crash into the building on the other side. 

Lin, a little more dinged up than before, helped Hattori up. “Thank you,” she said. “You saved me.” 

“Much as I like hearing you say that, we're not done yet.” He looked at the Avatar pinning Sha-Garou against the wall across from them. He looked at his blade again. He held his hands out and twisted the metal, finding that he could mold and pull it as he liked. Twisting the blade, he curved it, making a hook, and drawing the other half out to make a long, thin but sturdy wire he could wrap around it. “Alright sister, let’s end this fucker.” he looked at Lin and she gave a smile and a nod, knowing what he had planned. 

"Sounds good to me, _brother_."

Korra was convinced she had Sha-Garou cornered, keeping him tethered in place, she swung fire towards him, hearing him grunt in pain with each bolt of flames. But the spirit gathered his last strengths and fought back against her bending, and snatched her out of the air with a long arm of shadow. 

She writhed against him, trying to airbend her way out of his grip, but he only used another hand to hold her steady. She thrashed fire onto him, but he endured, bringing her closer to his dripping jaws. 

_“You…”_ he panted. _“Are not strong… enough… Avatar.”_

Korra watched as he opened his immense jaws, struggling against the shadow. There was no way out. It seemed like she was done for. 

A metal hook latched onto the side of Sha-Garou’s mouth, and he was yanked out of position. He roared as the sharp metal dug into the side of his face, prying his jaws away from the Avatar. He turned to see Hattori wielding his new weapon, holding it taught.

He held the spirit in place as Lin wrapped a metal wire around his neck, pulling it tight. As the beast struggled to breathe, it weakened its grip on Korra and she wriggled her way out of the tentacle.

It was then she realized Sha-Garou reaching his physical form WAS also his weakness as he could be harmed now, giving Korra an idea. 

“Now! Everyone! At the same time!” She yelled across the street as Hattori and Lin held Sha-Garou in place on either side of him. 

With their last strengths, the crew threw everything they had at the spirit. Strike after strike was making him lose his power as he shrunk further and further. Bolin lava bended the ground beneath him, hearing him shriek as he descended into hot magma, and preventing him from teleporting away through the shadows. There was no escape.

“I may not be strong enough,” Korra said. “But we are.”

Sha-Garou writhed against the bindings but his jerks were growing weaker and weaker. Shadows dripped from him like heavy smoke, spilling out onto the concrete in a sea of darkness. 

Korra lashed out with one last hit of fire across his head, making him scream one last time. The shadows dissipated, no longer bound together, and the spirit’s form disintegrated slowly in undulating waves of darkness. 

Lin and Hattori relaxed, drawing their weapons back, the one eyed man watching the sight.

“Burn, damn you…” 

It was done. Sha-Garou was gone for good. 

They started celebrating, gathering together as the sun began to rise, until Hattori dropped to his knees. 

“Are you alright?” Lin asked, but as Hattori hunched forward, steadying himself on his hands, she then saw him pull out _a large shard of metal which stuck out from his back having been hidden under his jacket._ Lin realized it was part of the shattered lamppost he pushed her out of the way of earlier. “SHIT, NO!” She yelled rushing over to him and kneeling down next to him. 

"Relax… I've had worse." Hattori grunted through the pain, giving a chuckle that just made the pain worse. "Oh spirits… It hurts to laugh."

"What's wrong?" Kya asked as she and the others rushed over, seeing how bad the man was bleeding, kneeled down to try healing it as did Korra. "Let us look at that."

Toph, realizing the extent of the injury, got to his side, holding him in her arms."Hattori, you'll be fine, they’ll heal you up, okay, you’ll be fine."

Lin saw how her mother was reacting and tried to pull her back, but Toph wouldn't move, not wanting to leave her son's side as both Kya and Korra tried to heal the deep wound.

"It’s okay, you'll be fine, Kya, Korra, _TELL ME HE'LL BE FINE!_ " Cried out the worried mother, not able to see the knowing looks from both women as Asami, Mako, Bolin and Opal watched in silence..

"Toph… the wound is too deep." Was all Korra could say, knowing how bad this was for her and Lin.

"It's okay…"

Everyone's attention turned to Hattori, who seemed to be looking at something no one could see.

"After the first time… Dying is nothing, hehheh…" The now metalbender said, no longer even feeling the pain, his golden eye still looking forward as he put on a strained smile. "... I can see them."

"Who?" Lin asked, trying to hold back her sadness, after everything she endured since he came into her life, she was just now actually caring for the killer who turned out to be her brother.

"Ula and Karai." Hattori said before moving his one eye towards Korra and Asami. "So, you two are engaged, huh?"

The couple were surprised he knew that, but nodded to his approval as he pointed at the unique ring Asami wore on her finger

"The ring gave it away. Congratulations.".

He then looked up at Lin, Toph and Opal, turning his smile to one of pained slyness. "Least before I die… Again, I can die… a Beifong."

"You were always one." Toph sniffled out, holding his hand, kissing his forehead, Hattori smirking at Opal.

"Sorry about accidentally… hurting you... actually, I never got your name."

Him apologizing in that manner got an amused, yet sad nod from the airbender.

"Opal, Opal Beifong."

"Ah... I like that name... please don't tell your mother... what I did to you." He said before looking at the Chief.

"And you…" He began, pointing his finger at Kya. "Seriously, is she your girlfriend or not?

That earned a sudden burst of laughter from Lin, who had Kya hold her as she needed something like that silly question to try lifting her spirits, even if briefly. "Oh, just please die already." 

"I’m trying to… Just one last thing, sister…" Hattori grunted out as he made himself get up with as much energy as he could, managing to get up near Lin's ear, whispering something into her ear, looking to confuse her a bit as he held on.

But then that was replaced by a look of shock from the Chief as Hattori stopped talking, his arm dropping down as his head fell limp, not moving an inch, passing away once more.

But now surrounded by many people, including his mother, sister and niece.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ends the ballad of Hattori Hanzo, or Hattori Beifong if you wanna be more precise. To be honest, he was always going to die, that's what happened in the original story, and both me and Countconiine made sure it happened here in a similar manner. Though we did not plan for this to be the longest chapter. XD Think of it like a special three part finale. But there's still one last chapter left, wait for tomorrow for how the story ends.


	16. Chapter Fifteen- One Life Ends, New Lives Begin

"Are you alright, mother?" Lin laid her hand on Toph's shoulder.

Hattori's body in the open casket was made into a pretty sight, and even the Chief herself felt a lump in her throat. He was dressed in a traditional earth kingdom suit, getting the proper Beifong send off. His head wound was covered up as in his hands he held the small crumpled photo of him, Ula and Karai.

Toph nodded, wiping one tear away from her eye, refusing to let anyone see it, before turning back to Lin, her face back to its stoic self.

It was in moments like this that Lin wished Toph could see. Her son's funeral was small, and they hadn't had a lot of time to plan, but Asami and Suyin had put together a lovely venue, the Beifongs having brought ornaments and decorations from Zaofu - a home Hattori never had the chance to see. Her family had all shown up to greet the relative they'd never met. Everyone felt the loss in their own way.

"He used to be prettier. So I'm told." Toph joked as they gathered around him and the group chuckled. Even in hard times the earthbender's humor was unparalleled.

They agreed that someone should give a speech, but neither Toph nor Lin were made for heartfelt words, so Opal volunteered to read something out, with the condition that they at least stand next to her on the podium.

She looked out at the seats in front of her. Beside the Beifongs was the whole crew, including Kya, dressed smartly and elegantly. Even a healed up Tarkik, along with his husband and children, were there to pay his respects to his old friend. They all watched her with expectant but sad eyes.

"Uncle Hattori gave us all the wrong impression," she started. "He was a man with good intentions, but a broken heart. He was loving, and loyal to those he cared for. Even in his last moments he thought about saving Lin above himself." She gulped, trying to hold back her tears. There was so much she still didn't know about him and she couldn't help thinking how unfair life was. "Though we never knew him in his original life, and he never knew us, we're grateful for the time we had together, although short. Among his last words, he said he saw Ula and Karai, his beloved wife and daughter. I believe he is with them now, and he is finally at peace and most of all... happy." She looked back at Hattori in his coffin. "And we should be happy for him too."

* * *

In the following weeks, as one life had ended, so many more seemed to be starting.

Korra and Asami sat together around their kitchen table, cards and envelopes sprawled out across the mahogany wood. They signed each one in turn before sealing them.

"Is this the last one?" Asami asked, picking up the last blank card on the pile.

"Yeah." Korra replied. She arranged all the envelopes in a neat pile, before looking over Asami's shoulder as she wrote the last one.

Please join us for the wedding of

Ms. Asami Sato and Avatar Korra

21st of August

She signed the bottom of the card, before handing it to Korra to do the same, thankfully her writing hand having healed up from the battle. They placed it in a golden envelope and sealed it with a drop of wax. They were finally finished.

"Phew. That's all of them then," Korra leaned back in her seat, with a resting Fumi at the feet as Naga sniffed at the animal curiously. "Getting married is hard work!" She nudged Asami with her elbow and chuckled.

"Just you wait." The engineer smiled. She leaned in and kissed her. They survived another crisis, and she knew they would live through many more. Whatever it was, they had each other.

And now, it'll be in writing too.

* * *

Bolin and Opal smiled as they saw Mako and Thuy show up.

"Heyy, you're finally here!" Bolin said.

"Sorry, got caught up in traffic," Mako said, his arm linked with Thuy.

"That's fine, there's plenty of seats left," Opal replied, taking Bolin's hand as they headed into the noodle bar.

They took a seat. Seaweed noodles all around, as usual.

"Ay, you were right Mako," Thuy said. "This place is really nice."

Mako smiled. "Glad you like it."

Bolin leaned forward on his elbows towards them. "Sooo... are you two a thing now?" he smirked.

Mako blushed. Him and Thuy looked at each other. "Well... yes. Yes we are."

Bolin giggled. "Hooray! Our first double date!"

Opal rolled her eyes. "You have no idea how excited he was about it." She turned to Mako and Thuy. "But I'm glad for you two! Welcome to the squad, Thuy!"

"Heh, thanks Opal!"

They ate their noodles, chatting the afternoon away. They even got complimentary dessert since they were such frequent regulars.

"See?" Mako said to his new girlfriend. "You get me free drinks, I get you free dessert."

She chuckled. "Sounds like a deal, love."

* * *

"Why are we here again?" Toph asked as she followed her daughter, along with Kya into what looked like an apartment complex, one none of them had been in before. "You two do know my train leaves in two hours?"

"We know, but Lin said she had to stop by here first." Kya responded with, though curious herself why her lover wanted so much to come here, which Toph could just tell was bugging her too.

"You know why?"

"Not a single clue."

"Okay, this is it." Lin herself said before taking a deep breath and knocking on the old yellow door, waiting a second or two before it's owner opened it, Lin and Kya seeing it was an old lady around the same age as Toph with large glasses, inside her home were many, MANY Cat Owl's.

"Hello, can i help you?"

"Yes, Mrs. Quan-Lo, do you remember a… Mr. Wang Lee?" Lin asked, cringing at the fake name Hattori had told her he was using when he whispered his last request to her.

"Who?" The old woman asked, her hearing acting up once more.

"She said if you remember Mr. Wang Lee!" Toph yelled out, interrupting Lin's attempt to ask again.

"OH, yes, mighty fine young man!" Mrs. Quan-Lo said, remembering something about him before looking curious. "Haven't seen him in weeks, why are you looking for him?"

"Actually, i'm…" Lin began, hoping this cover would work. "His sister, Faun, this is my mother and my partner." She said, pointing to Toph and Kya, the old woman trying to get a good look at them. "There was an… accident, and Wang Lee passed away."

"Oh dear no, such horrible news!" Mrs. Quan-Lo said surprised before turning around. "Honey, Mr. Lee passed away!"

Her husband however was somehow still engaged in the game of Pai Sho against the same cat owl, only for it to move away one of the pieces with its claw.

"YOU CHEATED!" He yelled out as the Owl Cat cooed in response.

"So sad to hear this" The old woman said, turning back to the three. "Mr. Lee had actually asked me to take in his pet Cat Owl, Toshi, before he left to do his business."

"Right. Well, in case of the event of him passing away, he wanted me to take care of him." Lin explained as the woman nodded and gave an odd whistle, to which a brown and white Cat Owl appeared on her arm, perched on it, looking at the three. "Is this Toshi?" She asked to which she got a nod.

"Mind if i?" Kya asked Mrs. Quan-Lo who smiled and held out her arm, as Kya did the same, the owl cat curious at first before hopping on, giving a small purr as she petted it. "Good boy."

Lin herself looked at the animal, who turned its head to look at her, both rather fixated on each other before the cat owl meowed and hopped onto Lin's shoulder, giving a small lick on her cheek.

"I think he likes you." Toph snickered at how the animal seemed to like Lin, while normally not a animal person, felt rather charmed by it.

* * *

"So, this visit wasn't exactly wasn't what you were planning." Lin said as both her and Kya, with Toshi on her shoulder mewing, stood in front of Toph, who had her bag of luggage in hand over at the busy train station.

Giving a bit of a snicker, Toph spit on the ground and shook her head. "Can say the same about you kiddo."

Sighing at how easily her mother was back to… well, being her mother, Lin at the same time was happy to see her getting better, knowing very well it was hard for her to get through the funeral, even if she kept that stone face of hers.

Then again, Lin herself was slowly getting back to the groove of things after all the murders and revelations revealed, she quite frankly was welcoming getting back to the paperwork.

But even for as brief as their interactions were, ignoring certain details, both mother and daughter knew each missed Hattori already.

"Right, so when are you two moving in together?" The master earthbender straight up asked, suddenly making both Lin and Kya cough out loud suddenly at the question, Toshi tilting his head at it's new owners. "Well, I mean, I figured since you two are together-"

"Mother, I don't-" Lin began to interrupt before Kya covered her mouth with her hand.

"One step at a time, regardless, you're always welcome to visit Toph."

The elder Beifong knew that Aang and Katara's kid was trying to hush her own kid up, but she still smiled at the offer, patting Kya's arm hard. "I'll take you up on that offer. And here comes my ride…" She said as she felt the vibrations of the machine roll onto the train tracks from far off.

"Wait, before you leave..." Lin said as Toph was about to get close to the tracks, stopping her as she walked over and hugged her.

Toph, while not one to willingly show affection, knew where this hug was coming from and hugged her back.

"Remember… I… do love you, mother."

"I know you do, and I also love you too, Lin."

With those words, the two groups said their goodbyes as the Chief and the waterbender left the master earthbender to begin heading towards the train cabinet.

But just as she was about to board, Toph felt something brush against her back, followed by the sound of a young girl's laughter.

"Sweetie, apologize for running into her!"

"Sorry, it was a accident!"

Toph figured it must have been the mother making her daughter apologize. "It's fine." She said back, beginning to step into the train when another voice belonging to a male rang out behind her.

"See Ula, Karai didn't mean to run into her grandma."

All movement in her stopped, pale green eyes widening as Toph knew exactly _whose_ voice that was.

She turned around as quick as she could, trying to use her bending to sense any notable heartbeats or movement, but she got nothing, just the movement and sounds from all the various train passengers.

"Ma'am?" Another voice rang out behind Toph, who realized it was one of the conductors looking at her. "Are you boarding, do you have a ticket?"

"Ah, yes, I do." Toph said, showing it, which the conductor took, hole-punching it before giving it back. "Thank you."

"Welcome, enjoy the ride. If you don't mind me asking, what's on your mind?" He asked which Toph turned back to the crowd of people and then towards the inside of the train as she boarded it, a small smile forming on her face.

"Nothing much, just my son and his family."

* * *

The broken stone temple was silent, but a lone figure wandered it's dark halls. The ethereal silhouette of a man traipsed its lengths, looking for the spirit that resided in it. He stopped, seeing the shadows rise up and form into a familiar figure in front of him, his wife Katara.

 _"Aang!"_ She exclaimed, her face beaming at the sight of her love. _"How long has it been?"_

The past Avatar kept a straight face. "Cut it out, Khu-Shui."

The spirit returned to her normal form, watching the other spirit with her scarlet eyes, grinning. _"What brings you here, Avatar?"_

"Sha-Garou. I know you know."

She nodded. _"He escaped, per say."_

Aang's spirit looked worried. "Your actions helping Korra will have long lasting effects. While Sha-Garou may have left this world, it's impossible to know what his influence could do to the others."

Khu-Shui chuckled, shrinking back into the shadows, swirling around Aang. _"You worry too much, old soul. I knew this would happen and what went down in that battle proved me right. But I also know our Avatar, the Prime, will make sure the worlds will be returned to equilibrium."_

"You view this lightheartedly."

 _"I have long awaited to have my fun, Avatar Aang. Made sure that..."_ The shadow spirit gave her next words some thought, Aang swearing he saw her smile as she did. _"... certain steps were put into effect to our advantage"_

He nodded solemnly. "You will help them again?"

She didn't answer. Instead she vanished into the darkness of the temple, her voice ringing against the stone walls one last time. _"You worry too much."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that, dear readers, is the end of "Blood in The Shadows"! Thank you all for reading it, giving it kudos and commenting on it. This took a long while to write up, if just to get it all complete. Me and Countconiine wanted to stay true to the canon, while also giving our own spin and we're thankful you all enjoyed it.
> 
> As for that final scene... OH, just consider it a stinger of sorts. Why?... well, there's a reason this is only part one of the "Hobohaymaker13/Countconiine LOK Saga".... just keep your eyes out.


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